The Spiral of Death I - The Looming Shadow
by Maechen
Summary: AU story. When Yuna decides to leave her sleepy, peaceful island home of Besaid to become a summoner to defeat Sin like her father before her, she is met with much apprehension and worry. Furthermore, she receives a visit from the mysterious Belgemine, who gives her some disturbing news. Can Yuna bare the burden of a sinister secret and a pilgrimage? Reviews greatly appreciated!
1. A cause for celebration

When O'aka of Coral Hill announced that he would be celebrating his one hundred and eleventh birthday with "A party the likes of which has never been seen on Besaid!", it aroused curiosity and excitement.

O'aka had been the wonder of the island for sixty years, ever since his unexpected departure and even more unexpected return. Rumour had it that he had returned with a great wealth of treasures from his travels across Spira and kept them in his peculiar house in the hill which he called his home. This house was an oddity on Besaid as islanders tended to live in huts with thatched roofs as this suited the islands very warm and tropical climate. O'aka however had chosen to live in a house of his own design, a house that seemingly delved deep into the hillside.

If his departure and choice of housing was not baffling enough to the islanders, furthermore O'aka looked remarkable for his age. He remained relatively unchanged and at over one hundred years old, looked much the same as he did at fifty. When asked about this enigma of nature, O'aka would merely laugh heartily and say it was his home grown pipeweed that did the trick, and that he was selling it for a very generous price. Indeed, O'aka had always been fond of pipeweed and it was very characteristic of him to be seen sitting in the peace and quiet enjoying his home grown comfort. His weed was not only a local delicacy but it was also sought after in parts of Kilika and even the city of Luca, and it was not uncommon for merchants to come to Besaid seeking his goods, and he was always happy to sell to them as he took great pride in his leaf and it was good business.

For all that made O'aka a curious being, it did not make him unpopular to the people of Besaid. In fact he was held in very high regard, as he was a generous and kind man, wise and respected. He was also a family man and had two grandchildren, Wantz and O'aka (the twenty-third of his name). His son, also of his name, had joined the crusaders and died in service many years ago. His wife who had already been aged and feeble had not been able to bare the grief of losing her only child and departed to the farplane only days after receiving the news. As painful as it had been for him to lose both his wife and son, he took comfort in the fact that his grandchildren were alive and well, and he loved them as his own sons and made O'aka XXIII his next of kin. He had even offered to take in a young orphan girl that had arrived ten years previously from Bevelle at the beginning of the last calm. She had been accompanied by a Ronso and had been taken in by the temple and raised by the nuns, but the villagers nor the temple forgot his offer of kindness.

The orphan, who was called Yuna, was daughter to High Summoner Braska, the one who had conquered Sin. This had made her a celebrity of sorts on the island, and she was held in high regard by the temple. Even the Ronso seemed impressed with her, as he had opted to stay as a personal guardian of sorts and had remained on the island ever since their arrival. The entire village (and to a lesser extent, the island) had taken this young girl under their care and she was never deprived of help nor affection. She was a bright young girl, and was an eager learner. The temple taught her how to read and write, which is more than can be said for many of the villagers. She became increasingly adept at curative magic and was soon able to aid the temple in its duties to injured travelers and the village. As the years went by she became knowledgeable in Spira's history and her fathers legacy. She approached womanhood quickly, and many commented on her beauty and a determination and ambition which the temple likened to that of her father. Eventually the village began to whisper and speculation concerning her motives and future began to spread. The village which had taken care of her since she was a child had grown fearful, and for good reason. At the tender age of fifteen Yuna announced that she wished to become a summoner, like her father before her. This brought bitter-sweet feelings to the village, it was a great honour to have a summoner from the village, but also a great tragedy as everyone knew what a summoners path meant.

The reactions to her decision were as expected. Her closest friends on the island, two brothers, Wakka and Chappu, as well as a young woman, Lulu, took it the hardest as they were like true siblings to her. The villagers had done much to hide their tears from Yuna, and all the children had failed to do so. For all her intellect and abilities, she had always found it difficult to be the bearer of bad news and see others come to harm because of it. However, both she and the village knew that there was no easy way of saying what had to be said. O'aka had been sad to hear the news himself, although he could not honestly say he was surprised, he just wished that somebody else would do it, and that she would stay on Besaid and live out her life in the service of the temple, with the villagers as her family as she had done the past ten years. He knew that this was not possible and so resigned himself to being the warm and supportive man that was expected of him.

He was sat on his chair made of wicker one evening, gazing out at a red sunset and enjoying a particularly fine blend of his own pipe-weed when Yuna came to him.  
"Mister O'aka?" said Yuna, approaching him with the air of somebody who had something terribly difficult to say.  
"Yuna! Sweet child! Why don't you come and sit down and have yourself a cup of tea? For you look sorely troubled and I think I have just the thing to raise your spirits!"  
Yuna managed a weak smile, although it looked sad. "I am afraid I cannot stay, mister O'aka. But there is something I need to tell you. I..I have decided to become a summoner! Although I fear you may have already heard this from the village, but I wanted to tell you myself." It had troubled Yuna to say this as she had known the man since she had first come to the island and knew he had wanted to take her in as his own. Ever since then they had shared many pots of tea together, discussing her life on the island and her happiness, and she had always been eager to hear the stories of the O'aka's youth, back when he went off gallivanting across Spira with the Al Bhed in search of adventure. She had many friends who she considered family on the island, many of the children she looked at as siblings, and many of the adults her many mothers, fathers, aunties and uncles, grandfathers and grandmothers, but O'aka was different. He was always willing to listen to her and hear her troubles and spend time with her when she needed somebody. He was a true friend and father figure and was truly fond of him. The thought of leaving him behind and never seeing him again, watching a warm sunset together and hearing his counsel over a soothing cup of tea was almost too much for Yuna to bear.  
O'aka remained silent for a moment, Indeed he had already heard the news yet he appreciated hearing it from Yuna all the same. Only after breathing in the smoke from his pipe and swirling it around his cavities and felt the sweet taste of his blend and then finally exhaled did he speak again. "Oh Yuna, or should I now address you as Lady Yuna? Why must you choose to burden yourself with such a thing?"  
O'aka's obvious display of concern yet lack of strong emotion encouraged Yuna. He had always been very easy to talk to.  
"I am not a summoner yet, only an apprentice summoner at the temple. They are all confident that I will be a summoner someday though." said Yuna.  
O'aka studied her carefully. He saw fear in her eyes, and in spite of this fear he also saw a burning determination, this satisfied him and he smiled widely. "Then you have my confidence also!" said O'aka.

And so two years went by in Besaid village, although not without incident. One year after Yuna had decided to train to be a summoner she received the news that Chappu had joined the crusaders and been killed defending Djose from Sin. This was a terrible blow to the village, especially to Wakka, who was his brother and to Lulu with whom he had been romantically involved. Whilst Yuna also grieved the loss of her dear friend and brother, it also strengthened her resolve and her determination and her training intensified. O'aka kept an even closer eye on Yuna as he watched her progress in her training, knowing that the day was fast approaching where she would be ready to pray before the Fayth in the hopes of being declared a true summoner and be able to begin her pilgrimage. Finally, another year or so later talk in the village became full of speculation and rumour, and talk of Yuna being ready to face the Fayth began to spread. This was confirmed one fine morning when O'aka was awoken by a frantic knocking at his door.  
"Hold your chocobo's and let an old man get to his door!" he said. As he opened his door he saw a red faced looking Yuna, bent over and breathing heavily.  
"My apologies mister O'aka!" replied Yuna, looking flushed and out of breath. "I ran all the way here, the priests say I am ready to pray to the Fayth!"  
"That is indeed excellent news!" said O'aka. He gestured for her to come inside. "Please do come in!" Yuna sat down and he poured them both tea. O'aka took a deep draft from his mug before speaking.  
"So you feel you are prepared for the trial?"  
"Yes. I believe I am truly ready to begin." said Yuna, over her own mug. O'aka looked at her thoughtfully.  
"Have you decided who will be your guardians yet?" asked O'aka, although he already had an idea of who she would be taking with her.  
"Yes. Kimahri, Lulu and Wakka." said Yuna. O'aka smiled, he had thought as much, although he not been so sure about Wakka who as he remembered was a Blitzball player and the opening tournament in Luca was drawing near.  
"So Wakka is to be your guardian despite his other commitments?" O'aka asked. Yuna had set her mug down and a look of sadness crossed her face.  
"He had intended to play this year but Wakka has decided to retire from Blitzball. He learned about Chappu's death in Luca last year during the tournament. Blitzball was something that they had always done together and Wakka had always hoped that Chappu would come back and play again one day. But now.." Yuna trailed off. She did not need to finish her sentence, O'aka understood. It must have been too hard for him to carry it on after the death of his only remaining family.  
"Well you will be very lucky to have him, I hear he is already experienced as a guardian?" O'aka inquired.  
"Yes." Yuna nodded. "Both Lulu and Wakka are. They guarded Father Zuke together, and Lulu also has guarded once before that too."  
"And a Ronso is a Ronso!" O'aka chuckled. "Yuna I believe you truly are in very capable hands." Yuna laughed with him.  
"Oh mister O'aka I wish I could have you with us, I want my pilgrimage to be full of laughter!" said Yuna. O'aka noticed her eyes appeared watery, although it was ever so subtle. "I truly worry about leaving this place. I have known it my whole life, and I love everything about Besaid and I just cannot bear to see so many of my loved ones in tears. I know If I become a summoner they will congratulate me but I know they will look at me like I am already gone." O'aka placed a fatherly hand on hers and smiled warmly. He had a plan.  
"Well then, that settles it! What we need to do is make sure everybody is comfortably distracted and far too contented to even comprehend feeling such despair!"  
"What ever do you mean mister O'aka?" asked Yuna.  
"It is very simple really. As you know, my one hundred and eleventh birthday party is coming up in just less than a month and it shall be an all day afair. If you can hold off your meeting with the Fayth until then, then we can have a joint party, we can celebrate our success together! What do you say?"  
Yuna's mouth was slightly open in surprise and then broke into a wide smile and a tear ran down her cheek.  
"Oh mister O'aka do you really mean it? It would be so much fun! Everyone would be smiling and the village would be full of laughter, wouldn't everyone be so surprised if I came back as a summoner and joined in the fun?" Yuna was overwhelmed with a fit of giggles and took a long, generous draft of her tea.  
"Of course they would! And it would be the perfect distraction. If we can keep their attention focused on this party then it gives you the perfect opportunity to slip into the temple unnoticed. There will be the select few who would have to be informed of course, but I think with a bit of planning we can pull this off quite nicely." said O'aka.  
"Thank you so much O'aka, this means so much to me!" said Yuna.  
"Anything for you my dear!" said O'aka, smiling.

The next day, a notice appeared on the door of Coral Hill: NO ADMITTANCE EXCEPT ON PARTY BUSINESS. O'aka was busy writing invitations (some of which had destinations far across Spira) and arranging the more intimate details of his party, as well as making private plans of his own. He was also frantically rearranging his house in preparation for a very important guest he would be expecting in the following weeks.

Days past with little word from O'aka and the villagers began to get curious. Children could be seen sneaking up the hill and trying to peak through the window only to run off laughing when O'aka opened his door to shoo them away. One evening it was reported that a large machina ship had moored on the southern coast of Besaid, near the ruins of the old machina city. A group of machina vehicles driven by Al Bhed and loaded with unfamiliar packages had been seen entering the outskirts of Besaid village heading in the direction of Coral Hill. They attracted the stares and loud whispering of many villagers who made comments among themselves about their eccentric clothing and goggles. According to several of the children who had been spying on them, they were staying on their ship down by the coast and were likely to be attending the party. The following week a cart rolled off of the S.S Liki and headed in the direction of Besaid Village. What appeared to be a middle-aged woman was driving it alone. She wore a lavishly decorated emerald green robe with a matching cloak and had dark brown hair with a bright yellow flower on the right side. The cargo she carried were fireworks, some of the finest in Spira.  
Her name was Belgemine, although over the years she had earned the nickname 'the wandering lady' due to the fact that nobody really knew her true purpose in the places that she went. In Besaid and Kilika she was well known for her fireworks and magic tricks, so it was widely assumed that she was a travelling magician. Her real business was far more sinister and dangerous, but to this, the islanders were oblivious.

As Belgamine rolled along the path towards the village she heard rustling in the grass at the side of the road.  
"You're late." said a gentle voice, with a tone of mild annoyance. Belgemine stopped the cart.  
"A magician is never late, Yuna. Neither is she early. She arrives precisely when she means to." replied Belgemine, turning to look at Yuna. They both stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. Yuna leaped onto the cart and threw herself into Belgemine's arms.  
"It's wonderful to see you Belgemine!" squeeled Yuna.  
"You didn't think I'd miss O'aka's birthday?" said Belgemine, looking at Yuna fondly. The cart resumed its course along the path. "So how is the old rascal? I hear this is to be a party 'the likes of which has never been seen on Besaid!'" said Belgemine.  
"Oh you know O'aka, hes got the whole place in an uproar, bursting with anticipation."  
"Well that should please him!" chuckled Belgemine.  
"So many people have been invited! What seems like at least half the island, and then a large group of Al Bhed arrived on the southern shore about a week ago and more people arrive everyday!" said Yuna, in awe.  
"He sounds like he paying the price of popularity my dear Yuna!" said Belgemine.  
"To be honest with you I have a bad feeling. I don't really know why, it's just a feeling that something is not quite right with him, like he is hiding something from me. He has been very busy, and despite his enthusiasm he is old and I worry about him oh so much. When I've been over to visit lately I've found that hes been looking at old maps and things from his travelling days. I'm worried that hes getting lonely." said Yuna. She hung her head slightly and looked down at her feet, fearing that she had said too much. When Belgemine said nothing, she looked up and thought she saw a glimmer of knowing in her eyes.  
"Alright then, keep your secrets!" Yuna teased. "But I know you have something to do with it!" Belgemine turned to Yuna with a look of surprise on her face. "Good gracious me."  
Yuna nodded with a look of mock solemness on her face. "According to the temple before you came along O'aka was a very respected member of the community. Was helpful and kind and was always relied on to do the right thing. Never went on any adventures or did anything unexpected."  
"If you're referring to the incident with the Evrae, I was barely involved. All I did was give O'aka a little nudge out of the door." Belgemine explained.  
"Well, whatever you did you've officially been labelled such things as the 'mistress of mischief' and 'the mad magician' and the most sinister branding of all, a disturber of the peace." laughed Yuna.  
"Oh really?" said Belgemine, looking around thoughtfully. The cart was rolling through Besaid Village now and people were starting to point and stare, some with suspicious eyes. When they reached the edge of the village Yuna turned to Belgemine.  
"Belgemine, I'm glad you're back." she smiled, and hopped off the cart and waved before turning and making her way back into the centre of the village.  
Belgemine continued on until she reached the top of the hill. She stepped off the cart, pulled out her long wooden staff from the back of the cart and walked forward. She could not help but laugh at the notice she encountered on the door. She knocked loudly on the door with her staff and waited. From behind the door she heard a flustered, if not stressful sounding reply.  
"No, thank you! We don't want any more visitors, well wishers or party merchants!"  
"And what about very old friends?" inquired Belgemine, loudly to the door. A frantic noise came from behind the door as it scrambled closer. The door burst open and there he stood. "Belgemine?" said O'aka, looking at her like he could not believe his eyes.  
"O'aka XXI." Belgemine said, smiling at her old friend.  
"My dear Belgemine!" O'aka yelped. He ran over to her with open arms and they embraced tightly. When they finally pulled away from each other Belgemine looked at her old friend carefully. "One hundred and eleven years old and you haven't aged a day!"  
O'aka laughed cheerfully and invited her in. "Come in! Come in!" he said, excitedly as he took Belgemine's staff and placed it by the door. "Would you like any tea? Or perhaps something stronger? I still have a few bottles of the old Djose wine left! 897, a very good year and it's almost as old as I am! Lets say we crack open one?" said O'aka as he paced down the hall and into the kitchen, gathering various mugs and bottles.  
"That would be most welcome, It's been a long journey." Belgemine called after him. She shrugged off her cloak and looked around the house, and she smiled fondly, she always felt comfortable in O'aka's house. He was a man who truly enjoyed comfort, looking around her Belgemine could see various pouches of pipeweed and incense candles with the most relaxing scents and on the walls there hung paintings of some of the most beautiful landscapes. As Belgemine continued to look around the room she noticed piles of old parchment. Thinking O'aka wouldn't mind she grabbed a pile and began to search through them. It was as she thought, they were various maps and letters from his adventuring days, tattered and worn with age. Belgemine heard his footsteps drawing closer and she put the parchment back where she found it and sat down on one of O'aka's deep, comfortable armchairs. O'aka returned with a couple of mugs and bottles of wine. "I've been wanting to find a good excuse to crack open one of these for years, and now I have!" he said happily. He sank into the opposite arm chair and began to pour a mug of wine for each of them. They raised their mugs to each other and drank. Belgemine drank the wine deeply. The wine was a fine wine, soft and fruity. It immediately filled her with warmth and content and she settled deeper into her armchair. "Very fine." said Belgamine cosily, gazing into her cup. O'aka drained his mug and reached for a refill. "What a cosy life you have here." said Belgemine.  
"Yes, yes.." O'aka mused. "I am so very fond of life here but I've been getting a strong urge to leave. I miss travelling so very much. Life was so exciting back then."  
"So you mean to go through with your plan then? I think you ought to know that Yuna already suspects you're up to something."  
"I know." said O'aka, with a hint of regret. "All arrangements are made though, and when she leaves I will have no more obligations to stay here. I will dearly miss her, shes been like the daughter I never had."  
"I know. But soon Yuna must embark on a perilous journey, and I fear that there will be very little you can do to help her when she leaves."  
O'aka took a deep draft of his wine. "This party of mine, I want it to be special, not just for me, but for her. I see it in her eyes Belgemine. She is so terrified of hurting the village, everyone is being so brave but this is difficult for everyone."  
"I know it is." Belgemine smiled sadly.  
"Was there any news of Sin on your travels Belgemine?" said O'aka, biting his lip worryingly.  
"None at all," she sighed. "From here to Luca appears to be safe for now. Although we all know how quickly that can change."  
O'aka nodded sadly and drained his mug.  
"Come now. Now is not the time to worry about Sin, we have a party to arrange!" said Belgemine.

The next day the villagers woke up to find that the tents and pavilions had gone up on the large patch of land overlooking the beach, next to the docks. O'aka and Belgamine had agreed it would be the best place for it, as it was easily accessible and it would leave Besaid Village virtually empty, giving Yuna all the privacy she needed to consult the Fayth. When the S.S Liki docked that day, it brought with it the largest number of passengers it had ever ferried in living memory. It brought with it the guests from Kilika, merchants and musicians from Luca and even some Crusaders who had agreed to provide security at the party, in case of fiend attacks, due to the large congregation of people. Soon the docks of Besaid had the appearance of a small town. There were tents all across the beach where people were staying until the party, as the temples were already stretched to capacity. Merchants wandered the beach selling novelty items such as balloons and toys, even the locals decided to take the opportunity to try and sell local Besaid products such as clothes and jewelry, as well as fruits and tea. Even the Al Bhed, who were often treated with suspicion, were welcomed into this makeshift town and managed to find some success in selling various pieces of old machina. There was a brief cause for concern when O'aka learned that a day before the guests had started arriving, the local Blitzball team, the Besaid Aurochs had found a boy who had washed up on the shore and had claimed to be from Zanarkand. This had led the temple to believe that as the boy was clearly suffering from the after effects of Sins toxin, that Sin must be nearby. They had later decided that there was no way of knowing for certain, and that it was likely nowhere near the island. Sin rarely went further south than Kilika, as Besaid was very scarcely populated. A large number of cooks, from all over the island arrived in Besaid Village on the eve of the party and excitement reached its height. The villagers had stopped working, even the clergy had left the confines of the temple to share in the excitement. That evening, Besaid experienced some of the worst humidity of the year and everyone became restless throughout the night.

Finally morning dawned and the humidity waned. Excitement filled the beach and the party began in earnest before the sun had fully risen. O'aka had called it a party but really it was a festival that could even rival the ones held in Luca. There was a large variety of entertainment from music to dancing and songs to games and the Kilika Beasts, the Blitzball team from Kilika even agreed to play a friendly surface game with the Besaid Aurochs on the shore. Then there was the food and the drink. Besaid had pulled out all the stops and some of the best cooks on the island had come to the beach to cook their favourite dishes. There were countless barbeque's, grilled chocobo, fried fish, the finest fruits from Besaid and Kilika, not to mention all the local wines and ales famous to the island, and of course pipeweed. There was a constant stream of people eating and drinking from late morning all the way through until the evening. When the sun went down the evening entertainment began. A theatre group from Luca performed a play on a makeshift stage built by the docks. Following this came Belgemine's magic show which stunned the audience. When she stopped off the stage to thunderous applause and cheers the fireworks began. The fireworks were of Belgemine's own design. They were the best the island had ever seen. They burst into many different colours and patterns. There were fireworks that burst into a thousand pyreflies and one which exploded into a flock of chocobos which charged down the beach. Aside from these major distributions, there was also a generous amount of the crackers, sparklers and torches as well as a selection of particularly colourful fireworks that appeared as a rain of arrows in the sky. Belgamines display was nothing short of spectacular and the cheers were deafening. However, her grand finale came when Yuna appeared with Kimahri, Lulu, Wakka and a blonde haired boy in odd clothing.

Yuna excitedly announced that she had become a fully fledged summoner to the cheers and tears of the villagers and the roar of approval and gratitude of the party guests, many of whom raised their mugs with wide smiles and raised spirits and drank deeply to her success. After much encouragement and cheers, the crowd formed a circle and Yuna composed herself and began to summon. There was a burst of light which rose up and circled in the sky, and then a thunderous sound. An Aeon burst through the light and swooped down, landing next to Yuna. It was bird like in appearance with a beak, yet also had a reptilian element with horns on its head. The Aeon had a feathery torso and large, scaly wings. Its had long, lizard like legs with claws and a long tail. It looked majestic in appearance and whilst the crowd had cried out momentarily in shock as it had landed, it had a soothing presence and it had gentle, compassionate eyes.

As the night went on, O'aka made numerous attempts to make a speech. But with all the noise and crowds on the beach as well as on the docks, it had proven extremely difficult. Everyone was too absorbed in the food and drink and as the night had progressed, wine cask after wine cask had been drained. Eventually O'aka was able to take a megaphone off of one of the heavily intoxicated crew members of the S.S Liki, which had remained at the dock due to most of its crew having joined the party, and the captain having been reported found in a deep slumber in one of the many tents on the beach. After several attempt by O'aka to get the attention of the crowd by screaming down the megaphone, the crowd slowly started to quieten. He climbed up to the wooden stage, the megaphone in one hand and a large mug of the finest Besaid wine in the other. "My dear people," He began. The crowd cheered. "Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday!" The cheering became deafening, and the applause was thunderous. "My dear Besaiders, Kilikans, Lucans, Ronso and Al Bhed! May I just take this fine opportunity to thank you all for coming, I know it has been a very long way to travel. But you have made this birthday of mine a most spectacular one, and I hope you are having as much fun as I am!" There were large cries of "Yes!" and the banging of drums from the musicians in the crowd. Many of the Al Bhed, who did not seem to understand much of what was being said simply cheered along with the crowd. O'aka took this opportunity to take a large gulp of wine, which just made the guests laugh and cheer louder. When the noise began to subside again, O'aka continued. "I shan't keep you long! But I have brought you all here for two reasons! First of all, as you already know, to celebrate my birthday! The second of which is to give Yuna the finest send off a summoner has ever had!" There was a great outburst of approval.  
"When Yuna arrived here on Besaid, she was only a little girl, no older than seven years. Yuna is the daughter of High Summoner Braska. She was practically taken in by the whole island, but it was the temple who made her their charge. They raised her well, trained her well. And soon she will leave the island a fully fledged summoner. Yuna is the sweetest and most gentle and fine young woman that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. So I would like you all to give it up for her, to Lady Yuna!"  
"TO LADY YUNA!" The crowd roared.  
"With that all said and done, There is still much food and wine left over, which is most disappointing, I expected better of you! Enjoy the rest of the party, and I hope you all have a very good night!" O'aka shouted to the crowd.

As O'aka stepped down from the stage and began to walk along the beach, many of the closest guests patted him on the back and shook his hand. As he past what was left of the food table he managed to grab one of the remaining grilled chocobo legs and refilled his mug with wine from one of the casks. O'aka took one last look around the beach. What a party it had been, he thought to himself. He looked at all the sleepy eyes, struggling to stay awake. Spirans could party hard when they wanted to, he thought to himself. O'aka also took one last look at Yuna, he did not know if he would see her again after this, as soon she would leave on her pilgrimage and he did not think that he would be around to see her departure. She was standing with her Guardians and that dim-witted blonde boy with the vacant expression. He saw that many of the guests were raising their mugs to her in passing, some even stopping to give her their best wishes. O'aka smiled sadly. He knew that their support would give her great encouragement, but he also knew where the end of her road lay, and O'aka found no comfort in thinking about it. He was tempted to go to her and give her a proper farewell but he felt it was too difficult, so he turned around and made his way back to Besaid Village and up the path to Coral Hill.

O'aka opened his door and walked briskly into his house. He quickly took off his party clothes and changed into some old travelling clothes that had not been worn for many years. As he walked down the hall he saw a figure in the corner of his eye in the back room. Belgemine was sat in one of the armchairs, smoking and gazing out of the window that overlooked the beach.  
"Belgemine! What are you doing up here?" said O'aka. Although he thought he had a good idea why.  
"I felt the party was getting a bit too noisy for my tastes." replied Belgemine. "I only just got here mind, I stayed to listen to your speech and I didn't think you would linger too long afterwards."  
"Well you were right about that! It's getting late and I'm not as young as I used to be." said O'aka, sitting down on his armchair. Belgemine studied him carefully. He was one hundred and eleven years old and yet he looked no different than the first time she had appeared at his door all those years ago, Belgemine thought.  
"Are all you alright, O'aka?" she asked.  
"Yes, and no." sighed O'aka. "I'm old Belgemine. I know I don't look it but I am beginning to feel it. I don't feel right at all. I feel stretched and thin. It can't be right. I need a change, I need to get out of here, see Spira again."  
Belgemine looked at him curiously, and sympathetically. "No, that doesn't seem right at all. I believe your plan is a sound one. You have done everything I asked of you, my dear O'aka. There is still some things we need to discuss though, which is why I wanted to talk to you before you left. Have you said goodbye to Yuna?"  
O'aka looked at Belgemine sadly. "No. I thought it would be too difficult, I couldn't bear it. I hope she makes it through this Belgemine, I really do. I have left everything to her, in the event that she does."  
Belgemine raised her eyebrows. "Everything, O'aka? What about that curious relic of yours that you've been so secretive about all these years? You haven't forgotten about what we discussed, and what you agreed?"  
O'aka stood up and pulled out a pouch of pipeweed, and lit his pipe with one of the matches on the table. "No, of course not. Its wrapped in cloth inside the wicker box on the mantlepiece." said O'aka.  
Belgemine stood up and walked over to the mantlepiece and carefully opened the box. It was empty.  
"Wait." said O'aka. "Well, no! It's right here in my pocket!" He laughed, and then hesitated. "Isn't that funny now?" he said softly to himself, almost in a whisper. "Yes, after all, why shouldn't I keep it?"  
Belgemine walked cautiously towards O'aka, looking at him hard. She thought she had seen a disturbing, ill look on his face, and it troubled her greatly. When she spoke again, she spoke quietly and carefully.  
"O'aka, have you forgotten our plan? Our agreement when Yuna first came here, ten years ago? I think you should leave that relic here, don't you want to?" She finished gently.  
"Well yes - and no. Now that it comes to it, I don't like parting with it at all. I don't really see why I should." said O'aka, and a curious change came over his voice. It was on edge. Sharp, with suspicion and annoyance. "Why do you want me to?" Snapped O'aka. "For one of your unproven theories? For years you've schemed about Yuna, asking that I look over her until she becomes a summoner, and constantly keeping watch over my relic. Yuna knows what becoming a summoner means, why don't you just let her get on with it and leave me in peace?" said O'aka, with a venomous tone.  
Belgemine blinked. O'aka's attitude took her momentarily off guard. His words hurt her, even if they were not truly his own.  
"All relics are curious things, potentially very dangerous things. You said you need to get out of here, will you really need that relic where you're going? I don't think you will need it." said Belgamine.  
O'aka flushed, and all kindness vanished from his face. An angry light appeared in his eyes.  
"Why not?" burst O'aka. "And what business is it of yours what I do with my own things? It is mine, I found it, it is mine!"  
"There is no need to get angry, O'aka." said Belgemine, becoming increasingly concerned.  
"Well if I am angry it is your fault!" he shot back.  
"My dear O'aka!" said Belgemine. "We agreed that you would pass on your relic, when the time came."  
"You want it for yourself!" cried O'aka, pointing his finger accusingly.  
"O'AKA XXI!" roared Belgemine. "Do not take me for a common thief!" The room grew cold, and dark. Belgemine took a step towards O'aka and she seemed to grow tall and terrifying, her shadow filled the room.  
O'aka backed away against the wall, terrified. For a moment they looked at each other, Belgemine continued to glare at the man before she relaxed, and the shadow passed and the warmth returned to the room. "I am not trying to rob you, I am trying to help you." said Belgemine.  
O'aka remained silent for a moment, his mouth open slightly, and then whimpered into Belgemine's arms. She heard him sobbing over her shoulder.  
"All these long years, we have been friends. Will you not trust me now, as you once did?" She kindly removed herself from the embrace and wiped O'aka's tears from his face. "Let it go." she said, gently.  
O'aka stood there for a moment, weeping silently. Finally, he spoke. "You are right Belgemine." O'aka sniffed. "The relic must go to Yuna. I trust you have confidence in this plan of yours, you will look after her, won't you?"  
"Yes I have a plan. Not one I can share openly mind you, as it's success relies on as much secrecy as possible."  
O'aka seemed disgruntled, but reassured. "Very well. I best be off. The road is long and I want to make it to the southern isles by midday tomorrow. He walked out into the hall, picked up his bag and travelling stick and moved towards the door.  
"O'aka." said Belgemine, walking slowly out into the hall. "You still have the relic in your pocket."  
"Well so I have!" laughed O'aka. He took something out of his pocket, wrapped in cloth, looking at it in his outstretched hand. O'aka stared at it for a good minute, his face unreadable. Belgemine dared not interrupt him, in case he changed his mind. Finally he tipped his hand and let it land on the floor, and in an instance he had opened the door and stepped outside into the cool, night air. Belgemine followed him outside to the doorway.  
"Well, goodbye Belgemine!" said O'aka.  
"Goodbye, my dear O'aka. Take care of yourself, won't you?" asked Belgemine.  
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'm off to find life again!" O'aka turned and began walking with a brisk pace down the path, singing softly to himself:

The road goes ever on and on  
Down from the door where it began.  
Now far ahead the road has gone,  
And I must follow, if I can,  
Pursuing it with eager feet,  
Until it joins some larger way  
Where many paths and errands meet.  
And whither then? I cannot say.

He turned the corner, down the hill. And then he was gone, passed into the night. Belgemine stayed at the door for some time, staring after him into the darkness. "Goodbye, my dear O'aka - until our next meeting." she said softly and then turned and went back indoors. Belgemine moved cautiously towards the object on the ground, wrapped tightly in cloth. She bent down cautiously to pick it up, but as she bent down her heart felt heavy with dread, and the most terrible thoughts crossed her mind. Belgemine picked it up quickly and placed it on the table in the hall, by the door and returned to the back room and stared deeply into the fireplace.

Some time afterwards, there was a gentle knock on the door. Belgemine was much too preoccupied, lost in thought, to notice. The visitor let themselves in and it was Yuna's voice that called from the hallway.  
"O'aka?" called Yuna. She searched all the rooms before she finally entered the back room and found Belgemine, sat on a chair in front of the fireplace, smoking and deep in thought in the dark, and apparently oblivious to Yuna's entrance.  
"He's gone, hasn't he?" Yuna asked. When Belgemine didn't reply she continued. "He used to always joke about leaving, but I never thought he actually would." She stepped into the room and knelt down next to the fire and looked up at Belgemine. "Belgemine?" asked Yuna, uncertainly.  
Belgemine finally roused from her musing. She looked down at Yuna and smiled. "He has gone to stay with the Al Bhed. He left several documents for you and a particularly important item wrapped in cloth, you will find them on the table by the door."  
Yuna left the room and returned a moment later with several documents in her hand, as well as the wrapped item. She sat herself down on one of the armchairs and began to read.  
"He's left me Coral Hill!" exclaimed Yuna. She frowned. "And it seems he has left me everything else as well. But why? I do not understand. He knows I am a summoner so he knows that I.." she broke off, unable to continue.  
Belgemine got up and poured wine and passed a mug to Yuna, who looked at it apprehensively.  
"Forgive me Belgemine, but I have little taste for wine." she said, apologetically.  
"Well, you may change your mind when you hear what I have to say." said Belgemine, gravely.


	2. The looming shadow

Yuna remained silent for a moment. "What do you mean?" she said, worried by Belgemine's tone of voice.  
Belgemine moved to the armchair next to Yuna. "The package, Yuna. Unwrap it."  
Yuna picked up the small object, wrapped tightly in cloth and unwrapped it gingerly. It was a ring. By the looks of it, a very old ring. It was made of the most magnificent quality gold Yuna had ever seen and it was a wonder to behold. The more she looked at it, the more mesmerised she became. Yet at the same time Yuna could sense something amiss, she could not quite tell what it was, but it made her feel ill at ease. How long she had stared at it in her hand, she did not know. Belgemine had said nothing the whole time that Yuna had looked at it. Finally, Yuna tore her gaze from the object in her hand and looked up at Belgemine, who was gazing across at the fire again.  
"A ring." said Yuna. "But why the secrecy?"  
"Do you notice anything odd about it, Yuna?"  
"Only that I've never seen jewellery as fine as this in my life, and as embarrassing as it is to say, it does not make me feel right at all."  
Belgemine nodded. "And what of the emblem? Notice anything?"  
Yuna fingered the ring, looking at it closely. She noticed the emblem, she had missed it before, as she had been too captivated by its beauty. "Why that's the symbol of Yevon!" exclaimed Yuna. "So then this must be a relic from the early days of the temple?" she said, looking inquiringly at Belgemine.  
"Well yes - and no." said Belgemine. "It is not of Bevelle, but of Zanarkand."  
Yuna gasped. "Zanarkand?" she said, in awe. "Then this ring must be over a thousand years old, perhaps even older!"  
"Yes, you are correct. As you no doubt know, a thousand years ago, there was a great war between the two most powerful Kingdoms of the age, Bevelle and Zanarkand. Both were wondrous machina cities, the jewels of Spira. What you may not know is that Zanarkand was famed for its summoners, and it governed its Kingdom with learned scholars of diplomacy and magic. Bevelle ruled its lands with an iron fist. It had the largest and most terrifying machina armies that the world had ever known and threatened to lay ruin to Spira. Soon, the whole world knew that it was only a matter of time before war broke out and the world would be changed forever." Belgemine sighed, sadly.  
"And then Sin came, didn't it?" Yuna said, slowly.  
"And then Sin came. But that is jumping too far ahead. It is important that you know all of it." Belgemine looked down at the ring for the first time since it had been revealed, although she did it reluctantly, as if it was repulsive to her. "That symbol is associated with the temple of Yevon, but it predates the temple by many years. Centuries, in fact. That symbol is the family crest of Yevon."  
There was a stunned silence. "The family crest of Yevon? But Belgemine, I don't understand. Yevon was a family?" asked Yuna.  
"Yes.." said Belgemine, musingly. "Long ago, up until the time of the machina war, people had family names. It is a tradition that has long been lost to the tragedy of time. Centuries ago, high borne families were judged by their merits and their deeds. Families would earn reputation, and their name would carry great respect, or great disdain. All who were born into that family would be judged by it and be expected to live up to its reputation. Families such as this had crests, and motto's to emphasise their importance. Many low borne had family names too of course, but that is of little relevance right now."  
"Yuna, did you ever come across the name Yu Yevon in your studies?"  
"Yes, but only briefly. It was his teachings that Spira adopted and founded the temples based on them, right?" said Yuna, uncertainly. She had a horrible feeling that there was much that Yevon had not told her, and it worried her.  
Belgemine took a long puff of her pipe before speaking again.  
"You are correct. However, there a few in this world who truly know who Yu Yevon was, and fewer still who would be willing to tell you."  
"Whilst Zanarkand had its own machina army, it was nowhere near enough to rival Bevelle. It was the summoners that the people of Zanarkand looked to for defence. One in particular, the Grand Summoner Yu Yevon, inspired their confidence. You must understand that whilst a summoner is considered a rarity today, centuries ago there were hundreds in Zanarkand alone. The abilities of Yu Yevon and his summoners were of the highest calibre. However, for all their wisdom and magical power, they had truly underestimated Bevelles ambitious determination to see Zanarkand wiped from the face of the earth. The defences failed and Zanarkand was obliterated."  
Yuna sniffed quietly.  
"The people who survived that night woke up to an unrecognisable landscape. Their beloved city, in ruins. Most of the summoners were dead, although Yu Yevon survived. He vowed to exact a terrible vengeance on Bevelle, and all others who followed them into using destructive machina weapons. Yu Yevons plan required measures that no summoner had ever taken before. He ascended the slopes of Mt Gagazet with the survivors and there they volunteered to become his Fayths. With the power of the Fayths of Zanarkand he encased himself in armour, and by armour I don't mean the type which is worn. The armour he crafted was of a magical kind, an aeons power but a power which had never been seen in this world before. What he crafted around himself was an aeon, and that aeons name was Sin."  
Yuna suddenly shrieked before she covered her mouth and gasped for breath. "Yu Yevon is Sin?" she said, bewildered.  
"In a manner of speaking, yes. Yu Yevon became Sin, and with his new found power he lay siege to Spira. One by one the great machina cities fell to Yevons power. Bevelle was in a state of disarray, its weapons were useless, they could not pierce Sins armour and entire armies were decimated. Millions died."  
Yuna had gone pale. "But Yunalesca? She stopped Sin didn't she? But she was from Zanarkand?" Yuna found what she had heard difficult to accept, it went against years of learning, and centuries of teachings.  
"Yes, there was a way to stop Sin. Yu Yevons plan went much further than reckless hate. He had made himself immortal, in his invincible armour. He ensured the only thing that could pierce that armour was a monumental sacrifice from a summoner. Only an aeon of momentous power could defeat Sin. Before he encased himself in this armour he shared with his only daughter and heir, the secret of how to defeat Sin."  
"But this cannot be!" Yuna blurted. "Are you telling me Belgemine, that Yunalesca was Yevons daughter? I don't understand this at all!" said Yuna, who buried her face in her hands and shook her head.  
Belgemine considered Yuna for a moment. She felt sympathy for the girl. There was much that Yuna had to endure, but it was necessary, she had to know the truth, It was vital to Belgemines plan. "Yuna, I know this is difficult, but you must hear it all, and please be patient. Allow me to finish and then I will answer your questions, but right now it is vital you listen to everything I tell you."  
Yuna lifted her head from her hands and looked at Belgemine, with tearful eyes. Finally, she nodded.  
"Yunalesca is Yevons daughter, yes. Yunalesca was not in Zanarkand when it fell under attack. She and her husband, Zaon, had fled to the safety of Gagazet, and there they waited, as their city fell into ruin. It was then that she was reunited with her father, who passed on the secret to her. For Yevon had a specific purpose for Yunalesca. For months Sin laid siege to Spira. When Bevelle was battered and desperate, Yunalesca approached them with the teachings of her father. She promised Bevelle, and the rest of Spira, a way to defeat Sin, if they adopted Yevons teachings. Bevelle agreed to Yunalescas terms, and so the temple of Yevon was founded. Under the constant fear of death and destruction, Yevons teachings spread quickly across the land. When Yunalesca was satisfied she returned to Zanarkand accompanied by her husband. It was there that Zaon confessed his unyielding love and loyalty to both Yunalesca and to Zanarkand. He gave his soul to her, and became the final aeon. With the final aeon in her possession, Yunalesca was able to find her father and pierce the armour, thus defeating Sin for the first time."  
"Now, you're no doubt wondering why Sin came back? Yunalesca had defeated Sin, much to the gratitude of Spira, but what they didn't know is what Yu Yevon and Yunalesca had truly done. When the final aeon pierces Sin, it destroys the shell, nothing more. You see, Yuna, Yu Yevon lives on as an immortal, inside the shell. When the final aeon pierces through the armour, Yu Yevon latches on to the aeon, and thus a new Sin is born. This is how the house of Yevon has kept Spira in a constant state of fear and destruction all these centuries. Sin is eternal, as is Yu Yevon, and Yunalesca, who entered Zanarkand for the final time a millenia ago, and there she remains, waiting. The teachings she spread led Spira to believe that in order to truly rid the world of Sin forever they must have complete atonement. It is a state of fear and control that Yunalesca wishes the world to remain in. And as long as summoners continue to make the journey to Zanarkand to obtain the final aeon and use it to defeat Sin, so it shall. It is a constant cycle."

Yuna remained silent for some time. She dared not speak, she did not know what to say. She fought back tears with all her might, until she could fight them no longer. When she spoke, she was overwhelmed with emotion. "So what you mean to tell me Belgemine, is that even if I make it to Zanarkand, I would have to choose one of my friends to die with me, and even if we defeat Sin, it will come back anyway? And there is nothing I can do about that, I must simply accept it? Well I can't! There must be a way!" she struggled through her tears.  
"There is a way Yuna, you're holding it in your hand." said Belgemine.  
Yunas eyes widened and looked down at the ring. "Yevons ring?"  
"I am sure that you have no doubt guessed that this is no ordinary ring?"  
Yuna nodded, she held up the ring and examined it carefully. "Why does it feel so horrible? I noticed that even you are reluctant to go near it, Belgemine."  
Belgemine looked uncomfortable. She had leaned back on her chair, and was edged as far away from the ring as possible. "It has such a feeling because it is no ordinary ring, It contains a portion of Yu Yevons soul." said Belgemine.  
Yuna dropped the ring suddenly, and it made a ringing sound on the table. She looked at the ring suspiciously. "What do you mean, a portion of his soul?"  
Belgemine rested her eyes on the ring for a moment, before she returned her gaze to Yuna and spoke again.  
"When Yu Yevon created Sin, it was not the first time that he had experimented with dangerous magic. The turmoil between Zanarkand and Bevelle went on for years, so there were many false alarms and predictions about when war would start. In this time, Yu Yevon was experimenting with forbidden magic that had not been used in centuries. It was a dark and gruesome spell that he used, the likes of which I will not speak of. What is important is what happened. Yu Yevon used forbidden magic to split his soul. He split his soul and contained a portion of it in that ring. As long as this ring survives, his spirit will live on."  
"But why would he split his soul?" asked Yuna.  
"Because according to the scriptures he was consulting, to split the soul brings one closer to the realm beyond. He became more withdrawn from the world of the living and more in touch with the realm of aeons. This is how he managed to create his own aeon around himself. However, splitting the soul is a great peril. The containers safety must be ensured, for if it is destroyed, the other portion of the soul will not survive, resulting in death."  
Yuna thought carefully. "And you say Yu Yevon lives on inside Sin, consuming the aeon that defeats it, so if this ring is destroyed, Sin will be defeated? Truly defeated?!"  
" Yes, I believe so." Belgemine smiled.  
"You don't know for certain?" said Yuna, desperately.  
"I am afraid not, dear Yuna. It is only a theory, and I have had many of them over the years. But my theories have a tendency to be correct, so I would say there is a very good chance indeed, that if this ring were to be destroyed then Sin would be defeated once and for all."  
Yuna let out a small, relieved laugh. "So then, how do we destroy it?" she said, excitedly. She looked around the room, as if to look for an object capable of destroying the ring. "What if we threw it into the fire?" asked Yuna.  
"Try!" said Belgemine. "Try now!"  
Yuna picked up the ring and looked at it. It was so smooth and beautifully engraved. The crest of Yevon captivated her, and gave her an unusual sense of pride for reasons which she did not understand. The gold ring glistened, it truly was precious. When Yuna picked up the ring, she did so with the intention of throwing it into the fire. However, she found now that she could not do so. The ring felt heavy, and the more she struggled to throw it into the fire, the heavier it became. When she mustered all her strength in an attempt to throw it away - she found she had placed it back on the table.

Belgemine laughed grimly. "You see, Yuna? Even now, having only just received this ring, you cannot rid yourself of it or risk harm to it. I would not risk taking it from you by force for it would no doubt destroy you. As for destroying that ring through normal means, it is useless. Not even a fiends fire would harm that ring. Only in the crypts of the ancient forges of Zanarkand can that ring be undone."  
"Zanarkand.." Yuna mused. "You know its funny. I've spent years at the temple, learning the teachings, reading the scriptures and the history of Spira and I never questioned it, not once. But now.." Yuna trailed off.  
Belgemine eyed Yuna carefully. "And now?"  
"I was prepared to give my life, Belgemine. I was prepared to journey and fight Sin, so that Spira can be safe, so Spiras children can be safe. I wanted to bring the calm, more than anything I wanted that. But now that I know Sin always comes back? It changes everything. Before we hoped, we always hoped that it wouldn't come back again. That we had atoned for our sins. Now I know the truth I couldn't do it.."  
"Yet there is a way for Sin to be destroyed for good." Belgemine reminded her.  
"I do want to destroy it!" Yuna said earnestly. "I just don't think I have the heart to make it to Zanarkand now, after everything you've told me Belgemine, you know so much about it all. I wish O'aka had never given this to me!"  
"It has come to you for a purpose, Yuna." said Belgemine.  
"But Belgemine, you're wise and powerful, why don't you take it?"  
"No!" cried Belgemine, springing to her feet. "Do not tempt me Yuna! I would take this ring with a desire to do good, but through me it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine. Do not tempt me!" Belgemine backed away.  
There was a long silence. Belgemine looked out of the window and out at the beach. There were a few guests about, although most had retired to the tents. When Belgemine remained silent, Yuna spoke.  
"Belgemine? If the ring belonged to Yu Yevon, how did it come into O'akas possession, or how did he lose possession of it at all for that matter? It doesn't make any sense." said Yuna exasperated. She froze suddenly. "Come to think of it Belgemine, how do you know this is the ring you speak of? What makes you so certain?"  
Belgemine looked at Yuna grimly. "I had my suspicions for years with O'aka, but tonight you have given me the proof."  
"Me?" said Yuna, perplexed. "How?"  
"It took O'aka years to become attached to that ring." said Belgemine, pointing to Yunas hand. "He thought it was a fancy relic, but he always kept it wrapped away, locked in a chest in the cellar. It was only in the later days of his ownership that he took to staring at it for hours, along with his other old possessions. Eventually, it was only when he was confronted and asked to give up the ring that he turned sour. However, you haven't even owned it a single night and already you guard it so protectively, and ever since you unwrapped it you have barely stopped fingering it." Belgemine did not speak calmly but there was a stern look in her eye.  
Yuna looked down at the table, guiltily. She had not realised she had the ring in her hands the whole time they had been talking.  
"The ring affects you more than it does everyone else, and I will tell you why. And there is no easy way to reveal this information to you but you are a descendant of the house of Yevon."  
Yuna gasped and she grabbed her mug and drained it, choking on the wine. "But how?!" Yuna spluttered.  
"The house of Yevon went much further than Yu Yevon, his wife and Yunalesca. Yu Yevon had a brother, who had died years before Zanarkands fall. He resisted capture after being confronted by a Bevelle military patrol in the calm lands and was killed. They took his wife and child prisoner where they were treated as distinguished guests. For all their military totalitarianism, Bevelle did not lack honour and it did not ill treat its prisoners, especially nobility. They had no doubt hoped that they could use such a prestigious family as leverage with Zanarkand."  
"Suffice to say, a diplomatic solution was not reached and it was not enough to pressure Zanarkand. However, after Zanarkands destruction Bevelle found it was in their interests to keep Yevons relations alive. They were summoners, and their ability to use magic was invaluable to Bevelle, who sought to use it to increase their power. It was their safety that made Yunalesca more willing to negotiate with Bevelle and in turn, easier for Bevelle to adopt Yevons teachings. Whilst Yunalesca did not welcome the fact that her relations remained prisoner in Bevelle there was little she could do to conflict it if she wished for Bevelle to comply with her demmands. So she departed from Bevelle and from there she went to Zanarkand to obtain the final aeon. After Sin was defeated and Yunalesca retired to Zanarkand, Yazandra was murdered at the word of Bevelle. The son, who was still young, was one of the first children to be taken in my the temple. He was stripped of his noble status and he was too young to have knowledge of his noble lineage. He grew up within the temple and later became a summoner. Although he failed to defeat Sin, he did leave a wife and children behind. Satisfied that the traces of the Yevon name had been destroyed, Bevelle praised his families valiant efforts and there they remained. Generation after generation. Many in that line became summoners, others lived entirely different lives. But they always stayed in Bevelle, it was their ancestral home, and they took pride that each generation had lived within its walls, until finally ten years ago Lord Braska set out from Bevelle with two guardians on a journey to defeat Sin. You were taken from Bevelle and brought up here, in the relative safety of the Besaid islands."  
Yuna remained silent for a long time, carefully absorbing what she had heard. A thought worried her. "Belgemine, does Yunalesca know I'm alive?"  
Belgemine looked thoughtful as she smoked her pipe.  
"I doubt it Yuna. The dead do not have an enhanced insight about such things. I can only speculate what Yunalesca knows, of course. I imagine she assumed the line ended long ago. Who knows what she thought when she met Braska ten years ago? There is no way of knowing. But It is very likely she believes her relatives have all been lost to time. Does that comfort you?"  
Yuna, who until that moment had looked rather on edge, slowly exhaled and relaxed. "Yes, that does make me feel a lot better. But Belgemine, you still haven't answered how Yevon even managed to lose the ring, seems a bit odd don't you think? Especially as it was so precious to him."  
"Ah, yes." said Belgemine, slowly. "Now that is where we truly enter the realm of speculation. My quest for knowledge has driven me to the far corners of Spira and back over the years, and I still cannot find a definitive answer. A great historian, Maechen, who I hold in high regard believes it is possible that it slipped from his finger as he transformed himself into an aeon, its purpose fulfilled. In which case it should have passed to Yunalesca. Maechen believes that the ring is usable by all of the same bloodline, but no other. It is plausible that this is the case due to the fact that when he split his soul, he poured his soul and his lifeblood into that ring as it was forged, which would mean the ring would recognise all who share his blood."  
"However, Yunalesca did not obtain the ring. It was lost in time, buried in the ground due to the horrific transformation of Yevon which shattered the landscape. The ring was lost. As for how the ring left Gagazet, well, the Al Bhed in the decades following Zanarkands destruction were one of the first to traverse its ruins, scavenging machina, spare parts and other trinkets. From there it may have traded ownership all over Spira until it finally found rest in the dark depths of the underground Al Bhed cities, until it was recovered by O'aka sixty years ago."  
"Wow" said Yuna, softly. She looked down at the ring. It gleamed invitingly in her hand, as if calling to her, inviting her to put it on her finger. Suddenly, she lifted her head as she felt Belgemines eyes on her.

Belgemine puffed on her pipe and appeared lost in thought. Her eyes appeared closed and relaxed but she was tense, and under her lids she was watching Yuna intently. Yuna reached for the bottle of wine on the table and refilled her mug and sipped it slowly, deep in thought. She swirled her wine, gazing deep into the mug and watched the liquid flow. Her mind mulled over everything she had heard from Belgemine. It confused her greatly and yet there was sense to be made of it, even if she didn't like the truth she had been burdened with. Her thoughts wandered to the sacred city of Zanarkand, a city that had been obliterated and was now known as the dead city. Yuna wondered what horrors lay there, and the thought of Yunalesca, waiting to greet the arrival of summoners who endured the long road. Yunalesca, neither living nor dead. Unsent, and yet still in the realm of the living, refusing to be laid to rest in the farplane.  
"Well!" said Belgemine at last. "What is on your mind Yuna? Have you decided what you will do?"  
"No!" sighed Yuna. She hesitated briefly before continuing. "And yes I suppose I know what I must do, I am just afraid to do it." said Yuna, sadly.  
"So are all who are burdened with such things." said Belgemine, consolingly.  
Yuna looked hard at the ring. She felt it captivating her, she was being drawn ever closer to it. She imagined herself wearing it and all powerful, her lineage restored and acknowledged by all. She imagined even the Grand Maester of Yevon conceding to her power. The thoughts terrified her, the longing for recognition of her superiority was a feeling that was entirely foreign to her. Finally she tore her gaze away from the ring and looked at Belgemines concerned face.  
"I will go on pilgrimage as planned, until we know more. I cannot explain what you have told me to everyone, nor do I think you would want me to." said Yuna, determined. For a moment she thought she saw a tear in Belgemines eye and she hastily grabbed her mug and drank deeply. When she looked at Belgemine again she was smiling.  
"My dear Yuna!" exclaimed Belgemine. "I fear you are right. Your refusal to go now would only arouse suspicion and I fear, also disappointment. The last thing we want is for people to be conjuring up theories about your decision to refuse to take the pilgrimage. However, I think you will be safe in telling your Guardians everything that I have told you tonight as they are not just your Guardians, but your family. You need everybody you can trust with you on this journey Yuna. It was never a road for the faint of heart, and especially difficult for one who knows the truth. For I fear you will ever have the desire to turn from the path you walk. Hold true to your decision Yuna. Things are now being set in motion that must be seen through to its conclusion. Too long has Yunalesca and Sins dominance over Spira been unopposed, and now we finally have a way to end it all, we must be strong."  
Suddenly Belgemine stopped, as if listening intently. She crept silently down the hallway towards the door. Suddenly she opened the door and grabbed a boy and threw him into the house. There was a yelp of protest from the boy and he backed away from Belgemine, looking apprehensive. He had sandy blonde hair and unusual clothing.  
"Well, well, well! The one from sea, isn't it?" said Belgemine, bemused.  
"I..I got too close to Sin and my heads all foggy like!" the boy stuttered.  
"What have you heard?" demanded Belgemine.  
"Well." the boy began, shifting uncomfortably. "I heard a load of stuff about Zanarkand and a war and Yevon and also something about a ring and how..Yuna is involved somehow?" the boy looked at Yuna, clearly confused and overwhelmed.  
"And is there any particular reason you just decided to eavesdrop on a private conversation?" inquired Belgemine, threateningly.  
"Please Belgemine!" interjected Yuna. "Do not threaten him. Wakka believes he got too close to Sin and is being effected by the toxin. He has no idea what is going on. Please forgive him!" pleaded Yuna.  
Belgemine looked at the boy skeptically. "Have you got a name, boy?" she inquired.  
"Uhh..Tidus." he said.  
"You must promise not to utter a word of what you have heard hear, do you understand me?" Belgemine warned.  
Tidus nodded hastily and in a poor attempt to act natural he stretched lengthily. "Well It's late, I better go get some sleep!" he said, almost running for the door.  
"Wait!" said Yuna. She ran forward and grabbed him by the arm and turned to face Belgemine. "What if he comes with me?"  
Belgemine considered this for a moment, a curious glint in her eye. "Go with you, are you sure?"  
"Yes. I trust him." said Yuna, confidently.  
"And what say you, boy?"  
"We're all travelling together anyway, at least to Luca." Yuna encouraged.  
"In that case, right on!" said Tidus, gesturing with his fist.  
"Indeed, Luca is an important destination for us all. In the next couple of days I must depart, there are questions I need answering. I will meet you in the Al Bhed bar in Luca during the tournament. It will be more discreet, away from Yevons eyes."  
Yuna said farewell to Tidus and watched him walk into the darkness, down the path and back into the village.  
"It's very late, or very early by the look of the sky. I should probably head back too." said Yuna, bowing to Belgemine.  
"Yuna I want you to stay here tonight, do not forget that this is your house now. You may speak to your guardians in the morning and as for the ring, keep it secret and keep it safe! Now with all that said, I am finally going to bed!" and with no hesitation Belgemine turned down the hall and into the guest room.


	3. A summoners departure

Many of the guests and villagers rose late the next day. Only the clergy and the most determined villagers could be seen on the beach as early as the morning sun shone, clearing up the aftermath of the party. As the morning went on and afternoon came, the guests arose and the tents came down, the tables, chairs, remains of the bonfires, eating utensils, bits of food and forgotten mugs were cleared away. The Al Bhed were the first to depart that day, having withdrew their party by midday and their ship had been seen heading south to the southern isle by late afternoon. Others left throughout the day, mostly on the S.S Liki. The captain, (who had incapacitated himself with most of his crew the day before) looked worse for wear but declared himself fit for duty and had little sympathy for any of his crew who were suffering from the after effects of their intoxication. The ship set sail from Besaid under the burning heat of the late afternoon sun and was at maximum capacity carrying many suffering guests who were not looking forward to the inevitably seasickness that awaited them.

"You ought to go quietly, and you ought to go soon." Belgemine had said to Yuna that morning. Yuna had woke around midday to find Belgemine sat at her armchair and sipping tea (to detoxify herself, no doubt) and looking out at the sea from the window.  
"Yes," Yuna agreed. "I know now what I must do. I will tell the others that we must make our preparations to leave. Although I don't think it will be today as many of the guests are taking the boat and I don't wish to draw too much attention."  
"Indeed that is a wise decision," agreed Belgemine. "You should leave by the end of next week, I say. That should give you more than enough time to ready yourself for the journey ahead. Remember, make for the Al Bhed agency in Luca."  
"One other thing, Lulu stopped by. She was no doubt very anxious about why you did not return last night, or this morning. I explained briefly to her that O'aka has left you Coral Hill. She was as confused as you were but I told her nothing more on the subject, that is up to you." Belgemine drained her mug and made for the door. "Now I must make my leave at once. Remember everything I told you, be wary and let me impress on you once more, do not use the ring!"  
"At once!" cried Yuna. "But I thought you would be staying for at least a week! I was looking forward to it.."  
"I did mean to, Yuna," Belgemine said, reasuringly. "However this long overdue revelation has changed everything for the both of us, I fear. There are still questions that need answering, and I must now seek the counsel and advice of people more knowledgeable in some matters than I. Hopefully I will be able to meet you in Luca by the time of the tournament, If not then the ancient house of Yocun will offer you safe refuge whilst you plan further."  
Belgemine left by mid afternoon but how she left the island without using the S.S Liki was beyond Yuna. Belgemine was Belgemine and she had her ways, Yuna had concluded.

By the following day, nobody would have guessed that Besaid had just hosted the largest party in its recent history. The golden sands of Besaids shores had been removed of all signs of disturbance and the village had returned to the same relaxed, sleepy demeanor it had been known for in its many years.

Yuna spent the next couple of days mostly within the temple, carefully packing items she thought she would need for the journey and planning her itinerary. The nuns had pressed a generous amount of potions on her, for her guardians and herself. She had not forgotten what Belgemine had said, about a need to depart as soon as possible and it played constantly on her mind and found herself gazing often at the old maps in the temple library. Her guardians were ready to depart at a moments notice.

Lulu, who was incredibly pragmatic, had been packed and ready since the eve of the party. She had long, braided black hair and pins to keep it in place. Lulu was foreign in appearance, as she had a pale complexion which was not at all native to the southern isles. Her choice of garments was a long, black robe with a low cut bust which was lined with fur. The robe was decorated with floral patterns on the sleeves and the lower torso. The bottom of her robe consisted of countless belts and buckles which if removed, would have left her legs completely exposed. The villagers had become used to her unusual appearance although she still managed to instill fear and suspicion into some islanders who did not know her. She was the most cautious and prepared member of the party. She had a serious demeanor and came across as rather cold but her attitude towards Yuna (and in some cases, Wakka) was maternal. She did not underestimate anything and had good instincts which she used to root out deception and became wary of people with intentions that she did not trust. Lulu was a skillful practitioner of black magic and had a strong knowledge of the elements. Her use of this magic had not come without a price. When she was a young child, her mother had been treated suspiciously due to her knowledge of black magic. Practicing elemental magic was a knowledge that was readily given to summoners but not to ordinary folk. Some of the older villagers had whispered and accused her of being a heathen and a witch. When her mother and father was killed by Sin during her childhood, the village tried to subdue her and prevent her from learning about her mothers past. The attempts had failed and since her later childhood the temple had taught her the elemental arts, in the hope that she would walk the summoners path. Instead she chose to use her abilities to guard, rather than to summon, which was still met with the approval of the temple. Her faith in the temple was true, and many on the island acknowledged her great piety and respect for the temple.

Wakka was also prepared, and had been spending the past two days overseeing the Aurochs training and helping out in the village. Wakka was considered to be the islands chief authority on carpentry and construction. There was nobody in the village who could construct or repair a hut or a fishing boat better than Wakka. He was also relied on to cut down trees for the village when they were in dire need of wood, and it was widely believed that he was the most skillful with an axe on the entire island. His axe was hand crafted, as he enjoyed crafting tools. He had crafted it when he had come of age, it was a long tool that could also double as a weapon. It required two arms to wield, and two strong arms to wield with any strength, which Wakka had. He was a well built young man who was stocky, with broad shoulders and chest and an athletic build. His skin was tanned and he had a cheerful, full face with slightly chiseled features. He had red hair which was styled in a long cowlick with a blue headband to keep it in place and wore the yellow blitzball kit of the Besaid Aurochs. He had been an excellent blitzball player, one of the best on the team in fact, and second only to his brother Chappu (who had died a year previously fighting Sin on the Djose shore).

The villagers were curious about when Yuna and her guardians would be departing, as they had thought she would be departing with the guests on the day following the party. She had hoped to leave with the guests originally, in the hope of avoiding painful farewells. Although many did not complain that they were blessed by her company a little bit longer, it felt like the pain was being drawn out. However indecisive Yuna was, she would have to decide soon as they had to make it to Luca in time for the opening tournament of the blitz season, and they had pressing matters on Kilika first which may take several days. The truth was Yuna was reluctant to leave. She was in love with Besaid. It's clear, turquoise coral reefs and its sandy shores that appeared to be made from the finest golden grains. She spent a long time wandering the island (with Kimhari, who insisted on guarding her) and taking in the landscape. She had always found Besaid beautiful, but it was only now that she was going to be leaving that she truly became aware of its beauty. Yuna looked in awe at the tall palm trees laden with the finest, tropical fruits; coconuts, bananas, melons, oranges and the rare acai berry (which could only be found on Besaid). The cliffs of the island were all covered with such green vegetation and plants of the most exotic colours and the cliffs were surrounded by the clear blue of the ocean. Besaid had always been very warm due to its tropical climate but this year was a particular hot summer and the light from the burning sun was intense, which made the island appear all the more bright and colourful. The sands sparkled like bright lights and all the bright purples, blues, pinks, yellows, reds and greens of Besaids plant life shone like a spectacle. Yuna had been too immersed to realize where she had been walking, she soon realized she had taken a narrow path to the peak of one of the smaller cliffs on the island. She cautiously edged closer to the edge which spurred Kimhari to stand close at her side and place his hand firmly on her shoulder so that she did not fall. She gazed across the great island and allowed the inevitable tears to stream down her face.

That evening, the S.S Liki docked. Yuna knew that they had waited long enough and informed Kimhari, Lulu and Wakka that they would be departing for Kilika early the next morning. Tidus was to come too, she told them. Yuna had forgotten to mention this as it had already been decided that he would be accompanying them to Luca due to the tournament, which had been decided by Wakka with great enthusiasm. However, she now explained Belgemines wish for Tidus to accompany them for the entire duration of the journey. This was met with skeptical reactions from both Lulu and Wakka (Kimhari remained silent and impartial).  
"The boy? But why?" demanded Lulu.  
"Yuna, I mean I know Belgemines gotta have her reasons ya? But Tidus, he's a newbie." said Wakka.  
"Belgemine wants him nearby." Yuna said, in attempted diplomacy.  
"Wha?" cried Wakka, with a scrunched up face.  
Lulu sighed. "Belgemine is wise, she knows and sees things that we sometimes fail to understand. If she says the boy is to come with us then I see no choice but to do as she advises." said Lulu, in a matter-of-factly way. "Where is the boy now?" she added, looking at Wakka.  
"He's with the boys, practicing."  
"Fine. Why don't you tell him later? Yuna and I will go to the temple to go over our inventory." And with that, Lulu turned and stalked off towards the temple without another word and Yuna gave Wakka an apologetic look before hurrying after her.

When the burning, red sun had finally descended and night had fell, the Aurochs and Tidus returned to the village. Wakka was still classed as an honorary member of sorts (in fact they still called him "cap'n") and practiced with them regularly. They had practiced all evening until it had become so dark that they could hardly see the ball. Tidus was staying over at the crusaders lodge and decided to head straight to sleep.  
Wakka decided that he would stay up a little while longer to get some supper from his hut on the other side of the village. His hut was small and circular shaped, with a thatched roof. Inside it had space for his bed, a small eating area and storage for all his tools, clothing and a couple of blitzballs. He ate a quick supper of left over rice and heavily salted, grilled chocobo. When he left his hut to return to the crusaders lodge to retire for the night he encountered Lulu by the summoners circle in the centre of the village.  
"Wakka, we need to talk." She did not say it sternly, or coldly and yet there was a slight edge to her voice that Wakka had grown accustomed to and could anticipate when there was going to be a particularly uncomfortable conversation.  
"Hey Lu, what's up?"  
"What's up? I'll tell you what is up Wakka! The boy! Why did you bring him here?"  
"I didn't bring him!" said Wakka, indignantly. "He was washed up here! Yevon teaches us to help those in need, what would you have done, Lu?"  
"Help him, fine." Lulu conceded. "But why did you befriend him? You've done more than enough for him, you've taken him in, you've been there for him, you've let him stay in your hut with you, you've introduced him to the team and now Yuna wants him with us!" she seethed, emphasising Yuna's name.  
"Well, Belgemine wants him with us, ya?" he said hopefully, trying to escape Lulu's harsh treatment.  
"And what do you think?" shot Lulu.  
"Well..If Belgemine and Yuna want him with us, they must have their reasons." Wakka concluded.  
Lulu scoffed. "And you're reasons have nothing to do with what he looks like?" said Lulu, sarcastically.  
Wakka had diverted his attention to the ground. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Lu."  
Lulu had ran out of patience. "You know exactly what you're doing and you know exactly what he looks like!" she managed, through gritted teeth. She stopped for a moment and looked at Wakka, his head was hung sadly, his shoulders slumped. When she spoke again she spoke in a more delicate tone. "He's dead, okay? Dead! I was surprised, too, the first time I saw him. But no matter what he looks like, he isn't Chappu. You shouldn't have brought him here in the first place!" Her impatience with Wakka was returning quickly.  
"Yeah, but...he needed our help!" Wakka squirmed.  
"Excuses again?"  
"Yeah, but..." he pleaded.  
Lulus patience snapped. "That's it. No more. Enough, Wakka!" she said it firmly, wheeled around and stormed off towards the temple, where she would be spending the night.  
Wakka sulked slowly towards the crusaders lodge where he found Tidus stood at the door with his arms folded and a bemused look on his face.  
"Sca-ary!" he said. "So, who's Chappu?"  
Wakka made his way into the sleeping quarters and Tidus followed suit. When they had both sat down, he spoke. "My little brother, Chappu. He looked like you."  
"He's dead?"  
"He was with the Crusaders when they fought Sin last year. He didn't make it." Wakka looked down, sadly. His eyes briefly appeared red. "I first heard on the day of the tournament."  
"Oh, so that's why." Tidus nodded thoughtfully, understanding.  
"I became a guardian to fight Sin, ya?" Wakka explained.  
"Revenge, then?"  
"That was the idea. But...I was more worried about a stupid game than avenging my brother. Well, from now on, I'm a guardian full-time. And you'll be coming along too, ya?"  
"Don't worry." Tidus nodded. "I mean, I owe you a lot. You really helped me out, you know? What I mean is...thanks, Wakka." he stooded and stretched out his hand in gratitute to him.  
Wakka began to stretch out his hand but thought better of it and waved Tidus' hand away. "Heh. Stop, you're embarassing me!" he laughed. "Anyways brudda, we gotta get some sleep, ya?" and without another word, he lay down on the bed and fell into a deep slumber.

The following morning the village arose to a bright, yellow morning sun, shining low through the village. The guardians had gathered in the centre of the village. A few villagers had awoken to join them and they were greeted with red, blotchy eyes. Yuna had yet to join them, and Lulu was waiting patiently with folded arms. When Tidus stepped out of the crusaders lodge he was greeted by a mocking Wakka. "Hey! Sleepyhead! Something I want to give you." he grinned, sheepishly. He revealed an elegant long sword. The blade looked as if it contained the ocean itself as the appearance of water flowed within. Its tip was sharp and its end had a hook, in the shape of an anchor. The grip was simple, yet long and had no hand guard and a long red ribbon at the bottom, and it had a decorated hilt. Wakka handed the sword to Tidus, who was in awe of what was being offered to him.  
"Whoa! You're giving this...to me?"  
"Yeah, use it well!" said Wakka, who appeared to take pleasure from Tidus' reaction.  
Tidus grabbed the sword and stared in wonder at it. He wielded the sword, impressed by its balance and its sturdiness, although in truth he had very little experience who swords and could not offer an expert opinion on such matters.  
"That's the sword you gave Chappu." Lulu said, chillingly.  
Wakka gave her a reproachful look. "Well, he never used it." he said, as if that settled it. "Where's Yuna?"  
"We're taking the same boat as Yuna, right? Why do we gotta wait here?" interjected Tidus.  
"Yuna came to this village ten years ago, when the last Calm started." Wakka explained.  
"The Calm?"  
"Since then, she's been like a little sister to me and Lulu. But she had the talent...she became an apprentice. Now, today, she leaves as a summoner." he continued.  
"This is our journey...We should leave together." said Lulu, who cast a disapproving look at Tidus.  
As Tidus was preparing to make a come back, the party heard the temple doors open. Yuna came struggling out with what appeared to be a large suitcase of luggage, which was clearly too heavy for her to manage.  
"You really don't need all that luggage." Lulu called.  
Yuna already looked tired. She'd broke a sweat and her hair had become messy and slightly tangled. "Ah...they're really not my things." she explained earnestly. "They're gifts for the temples we're to visit."  
"This isn't a vacation, Yuna." said Wakka, gently.  
"I guess...I guess you're right." she agreed. She left the suitcase and walked down to the centre of the village to join the rest of the party.  
"Okay! Off we go!" declared Wakka, as he patted Yuna gently on the back.  
Lulu turned to Tidus with a slight smirk on her face. "Seeing as you're not a guardian, you can manage the luggage." she turned her back on him and made her way out of the village.  
Tidus gave her an irritated look before glumly picking up the large backpack full of gear, and slumped it onto his shoulders.  
"Hey it won't be so bad, ya?" said Wakka as he grabbed the second pack and threw it around his back. "Toughen you up, brudda!" he laughed loudly and followed Lulu.  
"Hey! Aren't we going the wrong way, the dock is the other way!" Tidus called, as the party headed up the hill.  
"But the village statue is up this way!" he called back.  
Tidus turned to Yuna, who had not said a word, and was taking in the village.  
"You ready?"  
Yuna looked at him and nodded. She praised yevon and bowed in the direction of the temple, turned to Tidus and smiled, before making her way up the hill with the others.  
Tidus struggling up the hill to join the others and found them praying next to a stone pillar. Yuna was looking out at the village and the beach, the S.S Liki could be seen at the docks.  
"Let's get going, guys!" Tidus puffed.  
"We're going to wait." said Wakka, solemnly.  
Lulu walked over to Yuna and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Take your time." she said, soothingly.  
"What's going on?" asked Tidus.  
"It's an ancient custom. People leaving the island pray here for a safe trip. Chappu didn't pray that day. Said he'd miss his boat." Wakka explained."  
Wakka knelt down and began praying. Tidus considered joining him but thought better of it. If he knelt down with the weight he was carrying on his back he felt he would surely buckle and face difficulty getting up again. He resigned himself to watching the unusual custom, whilst struggling to maintain his balance.  
"That should do it!" declared Wakka. He got up and brushed the dust off of his overalls. "Are you ready?" he asked Yuna.  
"Mm." she nodded. As the party turned to head back down the hill a monstrous snarl was heard from the cliff above. They looked up and and saw a gigantic creature. It was feline like in facial features with a broken horn on its head, yet humanoid in physique, and its entire body was covered in blue fur. The monster was broad and muscular. The scarce clothing it wore were tribal in appearance and it wielded a gigantic halberd that had many notches on the staff and the blade, indicating it had seen many battles. It leapt down onto the ground and roared at Tidus. It brandished its weapon at him and swung with momentous force. Tidus dodged it, barely, and stumbled over due to the weight he was carrying. He struggled to maintain his balance and wielded his sword. He swung for the beast with his sword arm but found he was slow and sluggish, he lost balance again and he could not keep pace. The beast swung for him again and he quickly wielded his sword with both hands and was able to block it. The force of the swing threw him back yet he was able to successfully parry two more blows. He found himself in a desperate struggle to survive. The heat of the sun was intensifying as it rose higher into the sky and Tidus was sweaty and gasping for breath, his heart drumming loudly. He gasped as another great swing came his way, he ducked and attempted to counter, but failed as the creature thrust a gigantic paw, into his kneecap and forced him to buckle. The paw had sharp claws which had scraped across his skin causing it to bleed. He looked up at the beast which brandished its large teeth at him and wielded its weapon so that the tip of the blade was at his throat. A fierce look of triumph could be seen in its eyes.  
"That's enough!" Wakka said, firmly.  
The beast relented and walked away, shaking its head.  
Tidus gasped for air, drenched in sweat. "What's with that guy?" he demanded, panting.  
"Kimahri Ronso, of the Ronso tribe. He's learned the fiends' way of fighting." said Lulu, with a smirk.  
"That's not what I meant!" Tidus said, irritably.  
"He's another of Yuna's guardians." said Wakka, helping Tidus to his feet.  
"Huh?"  
Yuna looked at him and laughed apologetically. "Sometimes we don't understand him either. Kimahri doesn't talk much anyway. But he has protected me since I was a child!"  
"Ah." he said, lamely.  
Yuna looked down at Tidus's bloody knees. "Here, let me help you with that." she smiled, kindly. She opened up a small back that rested on her hip and withdrew some bandages and a small pot. Yuna knelt down next to Tidus and unscrewed the container. It contained a greenish looking paste, with ground up herbs and other plant extracts. Yuna rubbed the paste into the wound with a slight protest from Tidus, who found that it stung sharply. She wrapped a bandage around the wound, tightly. When the wound was covere sufficiently she pressed her hands gently against his knee and began to breath slow, deep breaths. Tidus's pain began to subside and he looked at Yuna, in awe. After a moment she unravelled the bandage to reveal smooth, clean skin. "That should do it." she said, uncertainly.  
"Wow!" exclaimed Tidus, looking at his healed knee. "How did you do that?"  
"All nuns and apprentices learn healing at the temple, summoners need to be highly proficient at it." she said shyly, as she swayed from side to side slightly, her hands clasped together below her torso.  
They made their way back down the hill and through the village. The village was still empty, which was unusual as the villagers woke early. The group worked their way down the path towards the docks and along beach front. What they saw next startled them. The whole village was waiting at the docks, many were cheering and sobbing, and some were doing both simultaneously. Some of the elders had created a large banner and weaved the words 'GOOD LUCK LADY YUNA' onto it. The villages children all ran up to her and started hugging her, some wishing her luck and others grabbing hold of her legs pleading her desperately not to leave. The men simply stood there, attempting to look dignified despite their obvious attempts to fight back tears. The temples clergy all stood bowing to her with the grace of Yevon. Yuna looked tearful and overwhelmed as she was greeted by such a reception.  
An elderly woman in purple clothing approaching her and embraced her. "I knew this time would come someday, I knew. Please take care of yourself, Lady Yuna."  
"May Yevon's blessings be with our summoner on her pilgrimage!" declared a priest.  
"Lady Yuna! Don't forget me, okay?" cried a young boy. "I'll be good while you're gone! I promise!"  
"We'll miss you Lady Yuna! Come back soon, ya? Where are you going on that big boat?" sobbed a girl.  
Yuna did not know what to say, and she found she had little voice to say anything, even if she knew, so she resorted to nodding and bowing instead. They stepped onto the boat and turned to face the crowd. A member of the crew on deck went to give word to the captain that the summoners party had arrived and that they were clear to set sail. As the ship began to set out she managed to say "Goodbye." although she feared it had barely been audible beyond the deck.


	4. On board the SS Liki

On the morning of departure the ocean was calm, and a soft breeze filled the air. As the hours passed by, the clear, blue sky under the dominion of the yellow sun gave way to numerous clouds and the sun shied away. The wind gradually turned against them and the worn sails of the S.S Liki began to ripple loudly.

Throughout the day, members of the crew were busying themselves with various tasks. Yuna was surrounded by a crowd of admirers all asking her various questions about being a summoner and offering her their blessings. It was this sort of attention that she had very much wished to avoid as whilst she had appreciated (and to some extent, thrived on) the blessings and encouragement of the people, it made her feel too exposed and also false. She felt like she carried a great secret and burden, and she did. Whilst the people could praise her and pray for her and bow to her all they liked, knowing the great summoners sacrifice, they could never know the true nature of her journey. She was very aware of it, lying there in the depths of her bag, eager to be seen by the crowd. She wanted them to go away, so she could be alone with her thoughts.

After relieving himself of the gear he had carried on his back, Tidus soon found he was restless and had an abundance of energy. He was causing mischief and great inconvenience for the crew and to some extent, other passengers. He could be seen roaming the deck, snatching equipment out of their hands and inspecting them before throwing them back, apparently uninterested. When he grabbed a pair of binoculars from the hands of a member of the crew he was met with a look of disdain from Lulu, who was beginning to find him tiresome, and a nuisance. She thought he seemed very much like a child with a short attention span, snatching toys off of children before throwing them and moving on to something else. It confused her as to why Belgemine would request that such a foolish boy be sent on this noble and sacred journey with them. It dominated her thoughts, and she studied him carefully, with wary eyes. Tidus seemed to be the same age as Yuna, yet the difference in maturity was astounding. His clothes were unusual as well, she mused. He wore blitz clothing that was not unlike the overalls that the Aurochs wore, and yet there was something exotic, foreign, about it. His claims to be a blitzball player from Zanarkand were ludicrous, yet his skills had been proven. He seemed to be truly at a loss concerning life in Spira, and of Yevon. It was likely he had been in contact with Sin, but never had she seen a case of acute poisoning as severe as she saw now. Lulu watched with irritation as he observed his surroundings through the binoculars and spotted Yuna, who had managed to escape her idolisers and was flanked by Kimahri. Yuna spotted him and followed his gaze until he spotted her waving at him. In a haste to wave back, Tidus fumbled and dropped the binoculars, much to the amusement of the crew member who snatched them back as soon as he had relinquished them.

Wakka beckoned Tidus over, with a large grin on his face. He leapt down from the rails and approached Wakka on deck. He was stood not too far from Lulu, who satisfied that Yuna was safe with Kimahri, was eyeing Tidus like a hawk. He felt her eyes on the back of his head as he approached Wakka. He wondered how long he would have to endure her intimidating nature on this trip, he was already getting bored of the ocean. He wanted to feel his feet on dry land again and get away from Lulu's scrutinising stare. Tidus didn't even know when that would be, or where they were even going. Fortunately, Wakka seemed to sense this as well.  
"I was jus' thinking, brudda. Come to think of it, I haven't told you where we're going! First to Kilika island, then we change boats and head for Luca. 'Fore that though Yuna's gotta pray at the temple. I'll be guarding. We'll be praying for the Aurochs' victory too, so you come along, ya?" he grinned and ruffled Tidus' hair.  
Lulu, who had been listening in, sighed exasperatedly. "Great plan." she said, with a sarcastic undertone.  
"Hey, it is a great plan!" Wakka declared indignantly, puffing out his chest. He turned to Tidus for reassurance who backed away and waved his arms frantically in protest. "Don't look at me!" he insisted. "So how long will it take to get there?" Tidus wondered aloud. He was already hungry, and fed up of the sea. He felt trapped and isolated, like an unwanted guest. He was surprised when it was Lulu, not Wakka, who answered his question.  
"The journey to Kilika mainland is only a few hours away from Besaid port. However, because the Kilika docks and main village are in the north of the island, it can take over a day to reach it. If the weather is against us, it can take nearly two days. The same goes for the journey from Kilika to Luca. So you better find something to occupy yourself, quietly." she finished, firmly, emphasising the final word.  
Tidus looked to Wakka, who shrugged apologetically. He turned away from Lulu and Wakka and walked the decks alone, restlessly. He looked over at Yuna, who was stood by the railings, surrounded yet again by a group of admirers. Kimahri was a fair distance away, as he was giving her space to be alone, or perhaps had little patience with the people who were shouting questions over each other. Tidus was curious and approached the group. He caught Kimahri's attention, but if the Ronso had any disapproval towards him, he did not show it. Tidus stood at the back of the crowd, behind two men engaged in conversation with each other, and listened in.  
"Word is that summoner's got noble blood!" one said.  
"I heard she's Lord Braska's daughter!" said the other, impressively.  
"Ya don't say?" said the first, who appeared fascinated by the news.  
"Lord Braska's...daughter?" Tidus interrupted, blatantly confused.  
The two men merely turned their heads and grunted, unappreciative of the interruption. He moved away from them to hear what the rest of the crowd were saying. He listened very carefully.  
"If anyone can defeat Sin, the daughter of Lord Braska can!"  
"A summoners confident smile is always a great encouragement to us."  
"For both father and daughter to become summoners - it must have been Yevon's will!"  
Tidus spotted three of the Aurochs in the crowd talking to one another.  
"Someday we'll earn some respect, just like Yuna." said Datto.  
"man I wish we were half as popular as Yuna." sulked Letty.  
"Hey, don't let it get to you. It's the same as always, ya?" encouraged Jassu, in a thick accent.  
Tidus was curious about who Lord Braska was, why Yuna was so famous, and why it was so significant. He decided he would ask Wakka, and made his way back across the deck.  
"So, is Yuna's father famous or something?" he asked.  
Wakka eyed Tidus with surprise. He was aware of Tidus's complete ignorance to everything, yet he was starting to wonder just how extensive the damage from Sins toxin had been.  
"She's the daughter of High Summoner Braska!" he sound, proudly. "You saw his statue at the temple. Lord Braska defeated Sin ten years ago. Yuna's the heir to a great legacy!" he explained.  
"It's tough when your father's famous." Tidus mused.  
Wakka looked at him with a confused expression, vacant of any sense of understanding.  
"Wakka's...a bit lacking in the imagination department." said Lulu, with a hint of a smirk. Wakka simply stared with his mouth open, slightly.  
Tidus laughed at his expression. "Thanks Lulu, I'll keep that in mind."  
"Oh yeah," Wakka said suddenly. "you talk to Yuna yet? She had some questions for you."  
In the corner of his eye he saw Lulu shoot a scornful look at him.

He looked over to Yuna and the crowd and saw that it had dispersed. Tidus took the chance and decided to make his way over again. She heard his footsteps as he approached her and turned around to see who approached. She had an odd expression on her face, a slightly forced smile which appeared tired and defensive. When she saw it was Tidus who approached her face softened and her smile became genuine. Yuna moved aside slightly, inviting Tidus to stand next to her, and she turned her gaze out to sea.  
He slowly walked up to her side and stretched loudly and exaggeratedly, in feigned nonchalance. He rest his hands on the railing and waited. It was so quiet and they both listened to the silence, all that could be heard was the breeze and the soft sound of the ocean waves. Finally Yuna spoke.  
"The wind...it's nice." she said, awkwardly.  
"Mm." he agreed.  
They both realised how awkward they sounded and struggled to contain their laughter, until they could contain it no longer.  
"I sounded so silly!" Yuna giggled.  
"Well I didn't exactly sound smooth either." Tidus laughed.  
"I feel so embarrassed." she said, placing her hands over her reddening cheeks.  
"Don't be! You're not the one who broke a load of temple rules and traditions to charge in and save somebody you didn't even know, only to find they weren't actually in danger." said Tidus, cringing at the memory that was still so fresh in his mind.  
Yuna laughed. "Well, the temple were very forgiving for that, there was no harm done! Although when you mention it, it was pretty funny..." she tittered.  
Yuna stopped laughing and looked at Tidus with a look of awe. "You're a blitzball player, aren't you? From Zanarkand, right?"  
The question caught Tidus off guard and he turned to look at her with slight apprehension. "You hear that from Wakka?" he asked.  
Yuna nodded.  
He turned around properly, to face her and rested his back against the rails. He sighed. "Wakka doesn't believe me at all." he said, sadly.  
Yuna stepped back and looked at him carefully. She had a curious look in her eye. "But I believe you!" she said. Tidus simply stared at her in surprise. "I've heard, in Zanarkand there is a great stadium, all lit up even at night! Great blitzball tournaments are held there, and the stands are always full!" her eyes glazed over, lost in her own imagination.  
Tidus sprang to his feet. "How do you know that?" he asked in amazement.  
"A man named Jecht told me. He was my father's guardian." she smiled.  
Tidus's face became contorted, as if fighting a great struggle. He grit his teeth and turned his back to Yuna, muttering Jecht's name under his breath. Yuna hesitated and her arm hovered around his back, unsure whether to comfort him.  
"My father...his name is Jecht!" he said, bitterly.  
"Amazing!" exclaimed Yuna. She bowed to him, hurried over to his side and bent forward to look him in the eye. "You know, our meeting like this must be the blessing of Yevon!" she insisted.  
Tidus remained unconvinced. "Sounds like him, but it can't be him."  
"Why not?" Yuna said, taken aback.  
Tidus's face fell. "My old man, he died. Ten years ago, off the coast of Zanarkand."  
"I'm sorry." she said, turning her back to him, afraid that she had offended him.  
"He went out to sea for training one day...and never came back. And no one has seen him since then." he finished.  
Comprehension dawned on Yuna's face and she wheeled back round to face him. "Why, that's the day that Jecht came to Spira!" she gasped. When Tidus opened his mouth to protest, she interrupted him. "It's true!" she insisted. "I first met Jecht ten years and three months ago! I remember, that was the day my father left." she said. Tidus simply stared, and said nothing. When he did not comment she spoke slowly. "The date fits, doesn't it?" she said, uncertainly.  
Tidus stuttered, flabbergast. "Yeah, but how would he get here?" he asked.  
"You're here, are you not?" Yuna shot at him. She had a look of triumph in her eyes. Tidus was lost for words and Yuna giggled nervously, afraid she may have gone too far. They stood and watched the ocean waves for a short while in silence before Tidus decided to head below deck. She watched him go across the ship and down the steps, out of sight. Yuna caught Lulu and Wakka looking at her curiously but she merely smiled and turned her gaze once more to the sea.

It was crowded below deck, full of loud chatter. Yuna was still the conversation of many in the corridor.  
"Lord Braska's daughter? She just might have a chance!" said a traveller.  
"We'll get her to Kilika, we will!" chimed in one of the crew whilst he was passing by.  
There were a lot of curious people on board. Many of them must be travellers, Tidus thought to himself. It was possible some of them were guests from the party who were very late to leave the island. Tidus was shocked at how slowly things seemed to move in Spira. Next to the door at the end of the hall, stood two men. They both wore worn looking armour that had appeared to have seen many battles. He recognised them both as the crusaders he had met on his first day on the island, at the small lodge on Besaid village. As he approached them, the eldest stepped forward to greet him.  
"Ah, Tidus! How are you? Have you any luck with your memory?"  
"Ahh, 'fraid not Luzzu." he said.  
"That is too bad, what brings you down here?" he inquired.  
"Just thought i'd take a look around." shrugged Tidus.  
"Well this is a restricted area! Our operation depends on this cargo! Why don't you go topside? The fresh sea breeze might help with your memory!" interjected Gatta.  
"I've already been up there for hours." Tidus sighed. "What are you guys doing anyway?" he asked, taking note of their secretive behaviour.  
"We're not at liberty to talk about our plan. If people think you're with us, you'll be excommunicated too! Some things you're better off not knowing. Take it from me." said Luzzu.  
"You were...excommunicated? From the temple? Why?" demanded Tidus.  
Luzzu chuckled darkly. "You accompany a summoner so you may have learned that people believe summoners are the only way of defeating Sin. We believe otherwise, and have associated ourselves with people who believe the same. They are heathens in Yevon's eyes. They cast us out, but our resolve will not falter." he said, sternly.  
"You should not speak anymore about the matter, sir!" Gatta chimed in.  
"You are right." he agreed. "Is there anything else we can do for you?" he added, to Tidus.  
As he opened his mouth, his stomach growled, much to the amusement of Luzzu.  
"So it's food you want? You'll find the mess hall on the other end of the corridor through the door on the right hand side.  
"Thanks guys! And good luck!" he said, and he made his wall down the hall.

The mess hall was not as full as the corridor and there was no que for food either, much to Tidus's appreciation. The only thing that dampened his spirits was Lulu sat alone in the corner of the room, sipping soup. He despaired at how difficult it was to evade this woman, and wondered when the torture would end. When he made it back to Zanarkand, no doubt. He grabbed a tray and passed it to the steward who gave him a small portion of rice and chocobo meat, laden in a spicy sauce. He looked at the small portion on his tray and at the steward, who smiled apologetically.  
"Sorry, you missed the rush. This is just the left overs, and we still have the crew to feed later. If you want more you're just gonna have to get here earlier tomorrow."  
Tidus walked away, looking at his pathetic portion sadly. When he looked around for a place to sit, something caught his eye. He looked over at Lulu, who gestured with her hand to the seat opposite. Not wanting to cause any more tension with her by refusing the seat, he made his way timidly over to the corner of the room and sat down. No sooner had he sat down, Lulu spoke.  
"I don't know who you are, or where you came from. If you interfere with Yuna's pilgrimage, we won't take it lightly." she said coldly. She rose from her seat and made to walk off. "Belgemine has some trust in you it seems. I have great respect for her, and her judgement is often sound, but in this case I believe she is mistaken. I hope I am not proven to be right." she added, and stalked off, leaving Tidus alone.

After his small meal, Tidus retired to the passenger cabins early. He felt low, Lulu's words had scathed him. He chose to spend the night in the Aurochs cabin, as he did not wish to intensify any tension that was already there. The Aurochs made good company. They laughed and joked together and for a while it helped put Tidus's mind at ease, reminding him of all the fun he had with his team, back in Zanarkand. Around about late evening, Keepa vanished for a while and returned with several bottles of rum, much to the delight of the team. Tidus had experience with liquor, although nothing compared to the strength of the rum he had been offered. The strength of it hit him instantly, and after several gulps he began to feel light headed. Spirits were high in the Aurochs room that night and they joked and cheered into the early hours of the morning. The team enlightened Tidus on their history, and all the games they had lost. Despite their terrible performances, they did not see too abashed, they simply laughed it off and said "Next time, brudda!" The Aurochs motto, they said, was to do their best, and as long as they did just that then they could walk away happy. It was a refreshing change, he thought. In Zanarkand the only goal was victory, and that was to be achieved no matter what. As the night progressed and the bottles gradually emptied the Aurochs became rowdy, even Tidus became enthused and in good cheer, able to forget his woes for a time. They cheered and cheered. Tidus had many questions, and they happily answered. He was eager to know how many blitzball teams Spira had, as he had already heard of two. He learned that there were six teams in Spira; The Besaid Aurochs, Kilika Beasts, Luca Goers (there was much gritted teeth and disgruntled muttering when talking about them), Guado Glories, Ronso Fangs and finally, the Al Bhed Psyches.  
"The Al Bhed, who are they exactly?" Tidus drawled, by now the rum had hit him hard, and he felt very drunk.  
"Heathens, ya?" slurred Keepa.  
"Ya!" agreed the Aurochs.  
"How are they heathens?" Tidus asked.  
"They use the forbidden machina!" said Jassu.  
"Wakka told you what that is already, ya?" asked Datto.  
"Yeah I get that. And it goes against Yevon's teachings?"  
"Mhm." came the general response around the room.  
"But all machina is forbidden? We saw plenty at the party, and what about the blitz stadium, in Luca?"  
"Not all machina is forbidden, there's machina, and then there's forbidden machina, get it?" said Letty.  
"Oh...right, okay, yeah I'm with you." said Tidus, deep in thought.  
"They are enemies of Yevon, they threaten everything that we stand for." said Keepa.  
"Some even say that Sin is still around because of them! We must atone for our crimes, all of us." said Jassu, angrily.  
"They aren't human, they can't be." said Keepa, shaking his head.  
There was a murmur of agreement amongst the Aurochs about this.  
"Well I don't know about heathens and forbidden machina or even not being human but I do know that Al Bhed saved my life, before I was washed up on Besaid." said Tidus.  
There was a stunned silence. It was late and eyes were drooping, speech was slurred and yet everyone became more alert.  
"They saved you?" Keepa frowned.  
"Was this before or after you played for the Zanarkand Abes?" asked Letty.  
The Aurochs roared with laughter, Tidus joined in, although he knew the Aurochs meant no harm, he couldn't help but feel sad.  
"So they saved you?" asked Datto, seriously.  
"Yeah, it's kinda a long story." Tidus said, rubbing his neck apprehensively.  
"Tell us, brudda!" encouraged Jassu.  
"Yeah come on, Tee!" said Keepa.  
"Tee? You serious, brudda?" said Letty, slapping Keepa playfully over the head.  
Tidus thought carefully. He didn't want to talk about Zanarkand without arousing any more cause for concern.  
"The first thing I remember is waking up in a very cold, dark place. It looked like some sunken ruins. When I swam into the water I was chased by a giant sea monster, but I managed to escape and get into the ruins. They looked like they had been empty for years. It was so cold, so I searched for things I could use to make a fire. The fire attracted another monster and I had to fight for my life. It was then that the Al Bhed rescued me.  
They hit me over the head and knocked me out at first, I thought they were going to keep me prisoner, or worse. I woke up again on their ship. They all had guns pointed at me. One of them started shouting instructions at me in a language I didn't understand. When they realised I didn't know what they were saying, that's when I started to get really scared. Luckily an Al Bhed girl who was apart of the team who rescued me understood what I was saying.  
'He said you can stay if you make yourself useful.' she said.  
It seemed my only option at the time, so I agreed. The girl and me, we jumped into the water and swam to the bottom, there were some more ruins or maybe something else down there. We fixed one of the machines and the whole thing came to life, all these lights started turning on. When we came back up to the ship she gave me food. I ate it so quickly I almost choked!  
'Hey! It's 'cause you eat too fast!' she said.  
It was only then that I really noticed her. 'Hello there. What is your name?' I said.  
She told me her name was Rikku. I was so happy she could understand me I grabbed her and started laughing like a maniac.  
'Whoa! You really do understand! Why didn't you say so earlier?' I remember saying.  
'I didn't get a chance to! Everyone thought oui were a fiend.' she explained.  
'uhh..."we"?' I asked.  
'Oh, "oui" means "you".' she explained.  
'Who are you guys, anyway?' I wondered.  
'We're Al Bhed. Can't you tell?' she asked.  
'Wait. You're not an Al Bhed-hater, are you?' she asked.  
I had no idea what an Al bhed was, and I told her that.  
'Where are you from?' she asked.  
When I told her that I thought I was from Zanarkand she went really quiet. She asked me if I hit my head, which I had, they hit me. She asked if I had been hit before that, and I couldn't remember. She asked me about my life, so I told her everything I remembered. I told her all about Zanarkand, and she stayed quiet the whole time.  
'Did I say something funny?' I asked.  
'You were near Sin.' she said, shocked. 'Don't worry, you'll be better in no time. They say your head gets funny when Sin is near. Maybe you just had some kind of dream?'  
'You mean I'm sick?' I replied.  
'Because of Sin's toxin, yeah.' she said.  
I asked her if she was sure and the reply did not make me feel any better at all.  
'Yeah, there is no Zanarkand anymore. Sin destroyed it a thousand years ago. So...no one plays blitzball there.' she said.  
'What do you mean, a thousand years ago? But I saw Sin attack Zanarkand! You're saying that happened a thousand years ago? No way!' I insisted.  
Rikku seemed to really want to help me.  
'You said...you play blitzball? You know, you should go to Luca. Someone might know who you are, or you might find someone you recognise.' she suggested.  
When I didn't know what Luca was, she groaned, but she promised that she would find a way to get me there. She warned me not to tell anybody I was from Zanarkand because according to Yevon, its a holy place. It was when I was thinking over everything she'd said that Sin attacked the ship. It created a huge whirlpool of some kind and I got thrown in from the force of the water against the boat. That's when I woke up on Besaid." he finished.  
The Aurochs all stared, wide eyed with their mouths ajar. They had been a great audience all the way through, even though they had drank a lot of rum.  
"That's some story!" Keepa said, in awe.  
"Yeah, brudda!" agreed Jassu. "I wonder if they made it out okay?"  
"That means you've been close to Sin twice and survived, ya?" said Datto,  
"Lucky, very lucky." nodded Letty.  
"I don't know what happened to them, after that I woke up in Besaid." Tidus said, sadly.  
"Well I know I don't like the Al Bhed, but I wouldn' wish Sin on anyone, ya?" said Jassu.  
"Mm." Letty agreed.  
"I just wish we knew what to do to get your memory back, Tee." said Keepa.  
"I'm stating to think there's no hope on that one." said Tidus.  
"Come on Tidus!" said Datto. "You've been close to Sin twice! It will take time to get your memory back!"  
"Yeah, maybe." he said. Right now he didn't care. The ocean had become choppier during the night and the ship was rocking, it was very soothing and he began to desire nothing more than a comfortable bed. Botta on the other hand, who had remained silent for a very long time due to seasickness, got up suddenly and made for the door.  
"Ugh...I-I've gotten seasick...I think I'm gonna hurl." he managed. He made it to the door and down the corridor when they heard him vomit.  
Keepa chuckled. "The crew won't like that in the morning. My fault for giving him the rum I 'spose."  
"How much have we got left?" Letty asked, groggily.  
"Bottle and a half." grunted Keepa, who had now crawled onto his bunk.  
"We should save so for tomorrow." said Letty.  
Everyone had gotten into their bunks and nobody was awake enough to agree nor disagree, so they merely grunted.  
Tidus was so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open. He slipped into his bunk and fell into an instant sleep.

The next day, several things happened at once. The Aurochs and Tidus all woke up to agonizing headaches and angry shouting. Not only this, but they also heard a loud crash and a commotion in the corridor outside. One of the stewards had decided he would do a good deed and serve breakfast to Yuna and her guardians. What he had not anticipated was the vomit on the floor, which lead to him slipping and flinging rice and sauce all over the corridor. Also, one of the crew did supply checks first thing in the morning noticed several bottles of rum missing from the stockroom. This lead to a ship wide investigation early in the morning. It didn't take them long to piece the evidence together. Missing bottles, rowdy blitzball players in the night and then vomit on the floor. Members of the crew burst in to the room to discover six hungover blitzball players. Luckily, as Tidus was a companion, and not a guardian, no shame fell on Yuna or the rest of the group. Unfortunately, the crew deemed it necessary to condemn the Aurochs and Tidus to spending the morning cleaning, whilst the crew members who were normally responsible for those duties got some much appreciated time off.

Although no shame had fallen on Yunas party, Lulu still felt it was necessary to shoot Tidus disdainful looks whenever he had the misfortune of being in her line of vision. Despite the fact that he had merely been in the room and joined in, she seemed to act like it was entirely his fault. Wakka, however, roared with laughter when he heard what had happened. Apparently that sort of behaviour was not unusual for the Aurochs, or for blitzball players in general, Tidus was glad that Zanarkand and Spira had some things in common, after all. Although Yuna had to have a certain composure as a summoner, as well as be diplomatic, she also found it amusing, although did not openly admit it.

By early afternoon they were released from their duties and were free to laugh amongst themselves about the events that transpired the night before. Wakka wanted to hear everything and the boys did not hesitate to tell Wakka all the details. He had a booming laugh which could be heard on the other side of the deck and he grabbed Tidus when he appeared and ruffled his hair.  
"Man I wish I'd been there with you, boys!" he said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.  
"We still got some left, Cap'n." Keepa said quietly, as he was aware Lulu was in earshot.  
"Ahh I can't anyways, I'm a guardian. It wouldn't be right." said Wakka, with the air of a person trying to resist a great temptation.  
"It would just be like old times cap'n Wakka." said Datto.  
"Cap'n Wakka is right." said Letty, wisely. "He's gotta guard Lady Yuna."  
"Somebody has got to." Lulu said loudly, giving Wakka a scolding look.  
"Uhh...why don't you guys go practice or something, boys?" said Wakka, rubbing the back of his head, nervously.  
The Aurochs all muttered their farewells, avoiding Lulu's cold stare, as she approached Tidus and Wakka. When Tidus tried to shuffle away Lulu stopped him.  
"No. You stay." she said.  
"Wakka. You are a guardian. Act like one." she said it bluntly. "This isn't Zuke we are guarding. It's Yuna." she emphasised her name. "This careless behaviour was not okay then, and it is certainly okay, now."  
"But Lu.." he began.  
"Look at you, you're stood here laughing with your friends, and encouraging the boy. Kimahri is guarding Yuna, I am keeping look out and you are here laughing with your old team mates. You aren't even armed. Where is your weapon, Wakka?" she demanded. Her words cut like a serrated edge.  
He stuttered at her for a moment, speaking nonsensical words, and failing to form a coherent sentence. She waited patiently for a response and although she appeared calm by her behaviour and body language, her eyes appeared fierce with fury.  
"I'm sorry, Lu." he managed. "I didn't think to carry my weapon because we're on a ship, ya? Yuna's safe, ya?" he looked at her, pleadingly.  
"The point of being a guardian is to be prepared for anything. Remember that, Wakka." she said, casting him one last disapproving look, before turning to Tidus. "And you. I don't know what you're playing at. I hoped you'd listen to my advice. You joined them last night, and as a result Yuna could have been implicated. You may not be a guardian but you're still a companion, no matter how much I disapprove. Be more respectful or we'll leave you at the next village, regardless of what Belgemine says." she stormed of, and did not say another word.

Tidus and Wakka exchanged exasperated looks.  
"Told you she had a short fuse." he laughed, weakly. "Anyways, I better go get my weapon. Come on you better get the sword I gave you, you don't want to give her another reason to get mad at you."  
"Yeah, good idea." Tidus agreed.  
They went below deck to the luggage compartment.  
"So you guarded a summoner before?" Tidus wondered.  
"Yeah, Father Zuke, he's a priest. He used to be at the temple in Besaid before he decided to journey. After he quit he decided to be a wandering missionary."  
"Summoners can quit?" Tidus asked, surprised.  
"Sure they can, its not an easy decision to make, to go on pilgrimage. Many summoners die on the road, or lose heart, like Zuke did."  
"Huh. I guess It just seemed like this was a big deal, with Sin and all. Why would summoners give up half way, what could be more important than defeating Sin?"  
"It's not an easy decision to make." said Wakka quietly.  
Tidus thought Wakka looked deeply upset about something, but when he bent down to his backpack and pulled his axe out of its holder, he appeared in good spirits.  
"I had no idea that was your weapon." Tidus said, honestly, eyeing the axe curiously.  
"Well, what did you think I'd be using?" Wakka asked.  
"Hmm, a blitzball, maybe?" suggested Tidus.  
Wakka burst out laughing. "That toxins giving you serious grief, ya? You wouldn't kill any fiends with a blitzball, you may give them a headache though!" he teased.  
"Alright, alright." said Tidus, feeling silly.

Above deck they both sought Yuna, and found her by the bow of the ship. Wakka decided to keep his distance and took his place by the stairs leading to the upper deck, which overlooked the main deck. Lulu eyed his axe, and then him, but revealed no emotion, and said nothing.

Tidus approached Yuna, who was once again being watched by Kimahri, who stood not too far from her. She turned to smile and him and beckoned him over. She laughed openly. "You finished cleaning then?" she teased.  
"Heh. Yeah, nothing to worry about!" he said, puffing out his chest in mock pride.  
Yuna giggled. "Well I'm glad, I thought they might decide they want to keep you on for longer, like permanently!" she said, in pretend shock.  
"It wasn't even my fault!" he said, indignantly. "It was Keepa, he took the rum from the storeroom, and he didn't even tell us how he got it!"  
Yuna laughed. "It did sound pretty funny. When I heard the steward slipped when coming to serve us food, I did feel bad but at the same time I was really trying not to laugh!" she said, giving Tidus a mischievous look.  
"Well I won't trust Keepa for a while." He spoke in a grave tone, which caused Yuna to laugh.  
"I'm sorry, you just looked so serious!" she joked.  
Tidus laughed with her. "Yeah I guess I did."  
They stood awkwardly for a minute, unsure of what to say to each other. They kept avoiding each others eyes, and then looking at the ground when they met.  
"So." she said. "Can you tell me...about Zanarkand?" she asked, shyly.  
"Zanarkand?" Tidus looked apprehensive. "What do you want to know?"  
"Everything!" she said excitedly, her eyes were bright with wonder. "I want to hear about the lights, and the buildings, and blitzball! And the cheering and the laughter!"  
They spent a long time walking slowly, around the ship whilst Kimahri kept his distance at the rear. He told her everything he could think of about Zanarkand, anything that came to mind. He told her about all the lights, and how he would go down to the sea, before the sunrise. He told her how the lights would go out, one by one, and the stars would fade. The horizon would glow, like a rose coloured flame. The glow would cover the ocean, then disperse across the sky, and then the entire city. The light would keep getting brighter, until all of Zanarkand radiated with light. He told her of the great parties he would have at his house with his team mates, even the losing side were welcome, if they were graceful enough to accept the invitation. Tidus recalled all the screaming, adoring fans who would wait outside his house before and after every game, just desperate for a glimpse of him. The entertainment in Zanarkand was beyond anything anywhere had ever known, he told her. There was no hour of the day where fun could not be found, and had, in Zanarkand. Bars stayed open all hours, as did great buildings filled with fun and games. He explained the concept of video games to her, much to her delight and awe, and of theatres. Gigantic screens which showed wondrous scenarios, without the need for on stage actors. And then blitzball itself. The stadium was always filled, the fans would scream so loud, it was deafening. The music filled the air and could be heard for miles. All the teams in Zanarkand would play in various tournaments and leagues, and each part of the city was loyal to their respective teams. The thought of Zanarkand pained him, and he did not continue, as he did not wish to recall Sins attack. Yuna noticed this and commented on his abruptness.  
"Sin attacked, didn't he?" she said, miserably.  
"Yeah." he sounded hollow.  
"I see. I'm sorry." she said it simply, she did not know what else to say. She looked at him apologetically, as she very much wanted to speak to continue their previous conversation, but she did not wish to upset him further. However, she could not contain herself.  
"It just seems so odd. First Jecht comes into contact with Sin, and ends up here. Now here you are." she mused.  
"Mm." Tidus said, equally thoughtful.  
Yuna was relieved to see he was reacting the same way as he had the day before.  
"But why?" he said, suddenly frustrated. "Why am I here? Why nobody else? And why him?"  
"Maybe there isn't a reason." Yuna suggested. "Maybe you are here simply because you are."  
"Well, that doesn't help me at all." Tidus complained.  
"I know. I'm sorry." Yuna hung her head. "I wish I could help you find a way back to your Zanarkand."  
Tidus shook his head. "No, it's okay Yuna. I'm sorry, I shouldn't complain. I'm alive. I keep thinking about everything that has happened to me. All this, started with Sin. Maybe if I can find Sin one more time, I can go home! For now I'll just live life until that time comes. No more worrying about where, or when I am. Sure, it's hard not to think of home. But I'm starting to feel better already. A little better...maybe." he grinned at Yuna and gestured with his fist, positively.  
Yuna nodded at him and smiled.  
They stood there, back at the bow of the ship, looking out at the ocean again. Yuna noticed the sea had become rough. The waves became violent, as if there was a storm. The wind remained calm, and as she looked to the sky, she saw that the clouds remained white, and pure with the faint glow of the sun behind them. Tidus took note of the oceans turbulence.  
"Seems like a storm's coming." he said.  
Yuna was not convinced. She appeared troubled, and her heart became heavy with dread. "This isn't a natural storm." she gasped. She backed away and screamed at Tidus to do the same. No sooner had he backed away, a massive ripple in the water appeared and a gigantic, scaly fin emerged.  
"SIN!" a sailor screamed.  
Fear immediately spread across the ship. Frantic shouting could be heard and passengers ran for cover, to the deck below. As the fin emerged from the water, it created great waves that came crashing down. The ship tipped sideways, and rocked, violently, causing waves of sea water to splash on deck. The force of the water knocked Tidus and Yuna to their feet. Kimahri rushed to Yuna's side, struggling to remain balanced as the ship shook, and wrapped his arms around her. Lulu and Wakka ran to Yuna's side as quickly as they could.  
"Yuna, are you okay?" demanded Lulu.  
Yuna nodded hastily.  
"What are we going to do?" Wakka said, desperately, clinging on to the harpoon gun.  
The crew had began to mobilize. For a passenger ship it was well armed. It had multiple harpoon guns location at the hull, and the stern of the ship, as well as on the upper deck. The ships crew had brought crates onto the deck and were unpacking what looked like very aged guns, and they began to position themselves on deck.  
"What in Yevon's name are you doing? Those are forbidden machina!" Wakka exclaimed.  
Another sailor ran up to the harpoon gun and started aiming it towards the fin.  
"What do you think you're doing? Stick a harpoon in him and we'll all get dragged under!" Wakka yelled.  
"Sin is going for Kilika! We gotta distract it!" yelled a sailor, wielding another harpoon gun across the deck.  
"Our families are in Kilika! Forgive us, Lady Summoner!" the sailor next to them whimpered.  
Yuna nodded solemnly.  
The sailors fired the harpoon guns at the fin, as Wakka cried out in protest. The harpoons hit their mark and the ropes quickly strained. The ship became victim to a great force, as it was now in Sins control. The ship was dragged from side to side, crashing into wave after wave. The deck became soaked with sea water and it was almost impossible to stand. Orders were being shouted, guns were being fired but it was impossible to hear or see what was going on amidst all the chaos. The fin steadied and the in turn, the water relaxed. They could see the fin clearly now. It towered above them. Its skin appeared hard, rough and scaled. The fin appeared to start cracking before their eyes and at first, the crew hoped that the harpoons had injured it. Their naivety was punished when the cracks in its fin appeared to be alive, and creatures began to pour out of it. Masses of them were shot towards the ships decks.  
"Sinspawn!" Lulu shouted.  
Carapace like shells crashed onto the decks surface, and creatures of an insectoid like appearance emerged. They had four legs, and large wings, with numerous, purple eyes and long feelers. They had what appeared to be small mouths, which had small but sharp, vicious teeth.  
They swarmed all across the deck and down below. The sounds of gunfire and fighting could be heard all across the ship. The influx of sinspawn left the group isolated, as they were positioned at the bow.  
Wakka yelled and brandished his axe. He swung his weapon forcefully, hitting a spawn in the side of the head. It twitched violently, and lay motionless on the floor. Blue ooze began to protrude from its body, spreading across the already soaked deck. Beautiful, bright and transparent orbs of light burst out of it and rose into the sky. Tidus wielded brotherhood and began to slash his way through the spawn. He felt overwhelmed, adrenaline surged through his body. He had seen these sinspawn before, and was familiar with them. These were the very same creatures that had attacked him in Zanarkand. He slashed his sword at one, severing its wing, causing it to stumble to the floor. As it struggled to get up he thrust the sword into its torso, and it writhed in pain before it was still and silent. He kept cutting violently through. He swung his sword with no particular skill, as he was not a fighter, and he was clumsy. Still, he made progress.  
Lulu appeared to pray to the sky and great bolts of lightning came firing down in a great flash, to the sound of roaring thunder, killing many spawn and clearing a path. They continued to fight their way through the chaos, and Kimahri swung his great halberd and cleaved through spawn that attempted to swarm them. Wakka hacked down spawn after spawn with mighty blows from his axe until the blade was covered in their blue innards.

A passenger came running out from below deck, screaming.  
"Help us! They have overrun the lower deck!" she cried. She rushed up the stairs, to the relative safety of the upper deck where members of the crew were gunning down spawn from above.  
"Looks like its up to us, ya?" Wakka said.  
"We need to secure Yuna's safety." Lulu insisted, as she stood close to Yuna, with her arms around her, whilst Kimahri flanked them, felling any remaining spawn.  
"The only way she'll be safe is if we get these things of the ship!" Tidus yelled.  
He met Lulu's eyes for a moment and received a flash of anger, but she did not protest.  
The corridor was littered with dead spawn and human corpses. It appeared as though members of the crew had died trying to protect passengers, but had failed to save all of them. The floor was slippery from entrails and blood, and the group struggled for strong footing as they worked their way along. When they reached the end of the corridor, Lulu tried to open the door to their room, but the door would not yield.  
"It won't open, it's blocked from the other side!" she said.  
"Step aside, Lu." Wakka said. He slammed his axe down against the doorknob, which dislodged from the door. He pressed his weight against the door, and still it would not yield. Kimahri stepped closer to him, and placed an arm on his shoulder, gesturing for him to stand aside. Everyone stepped back. He let out a mighty roar and thrust his body weight into the door. The door gave way, and a loud crash was heard inside the room, along with several screams. The group moved inside. Several passengers had barricaded themselves inside the room, and blocked the door with the nearby cabinet. When Yuna stepped into the room many of the passengers exclaimed and bowed.  
"Forgive us, Lady Yuna!"  
"They overwhelmed us, we did not know where to go."  
"Praise be to Yevon that you're safe m'lady!"  
Yuna shook her head, and raised her had, signalling them to stop apolgising. "I am not mad. How could I be? You did what you had to do in order to be safe. Praise be to Yevon that you are." she bowed.  
"Thank you Lady Yuna, you are truly gracious." one of the female passengers said.  
"The spawn, are they all gone?" Lulu looked at them, sharply.  
"Yes, it seems that way, although we heard fighting down the hall, only moments ago." said another passenger.

The group checked it out whilst Yuna stayed in her room with the passengers with Kimahri guarding her. The Aurochs were found in their room safely, although they bragged they had held off the spawn with their own might, when really they had simply barricaded themselves in tightly. Tidus noticed the remaining rum had been drank, but chose not to point this out. Some other passengers had made it to the security of other rooms, as well as the power room. Luzzu and Gatta were found in the mess hall, injured, although not fatally. They both looked pale and troubled. Unfortunately the mass hall had suffered casualties, and one of the stewards had been killed. Tidus recognised him as the one who had served him the previous day.

Above deck, the fighting had stopped. There was no sound of gun fire. When they had been down below, Sin had pulled away from the S.S Liki, having snapped the harpoon gun off the ship and headed in the direction of Kilika. Whilst this had caused momentary relief for all on board, the anxiety levels were now high, as they feared for their families lives in Kilika.

The ship had received its fair share of casualties. Both crew and passengers helped collect the dead and lay them above deck. Yuna did not wish to count them, it was such a tragedy. It was the first stretch of her journey, and she had already encountered Sin. A harsh reminder of what she must do. "I will defeat Sin. I must defeat Sin." she said, slowly and determinedly. Her face was contorted with emotion and tears escaped her eyes.


	5. The sending

The S.S Liki docked at Kilika by late evening. The burning sun slowly eased away and descended into the ocean, covering the water in a deep red glow. The site would surely of been one of wonder and beauty, were it not for the tragedy that was met there.

As the ship approached the dock it passed large amounts of rubble in the water. The sea was littered with splintered and fractured wood that had suffered severe damage. A blitzball was seen floating, lonely, out to sea. As the village came closer into view, the damage was seen with more clarity. The village was in ruins. Houses had been torn apart, trees had been uprooted and the houses that were left standing were tattered, with extensive damage. Some had their rooves missing, whilst others had entire walls that had been torn out. What were once homely huts, and peoples homes, covered the ocean, and floated peacefully out to see, towards the setting sun. The damage was shocking, but whilst docks and huts can be rebuild, lives cannot. As they docked they could see villagers running around, lifting the dead and placing them in caskets and placing them out by the water. There were too many caskets to count.

The ship docked and the ramp lowered. Yuna wiped the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her robe and and composed herself. She took a deep breath and then made her way down the ramp. She was greeted by two, grief stricken Kilikans. Yuna bowed to them both and spoke formally.  
"Greetings! I am the summoner Yuna. I have come from the temple in Besaid."  
One of the greeting party, a middle aged woman, let out a sigh of relief.  
"M'lady Summoner!" she said, moving closer, to greet her warmly. "We are relieved to see you have made it here safely. When Sin attacked, we feared that those out at sea would not return! Our spirits are raised to see you here."  
"Yes, praise be to Yevon we are safe. However, we did not make it here unharmed, we have suffered casualties."  
The woman's grief appeared too much to bear, and the news that Yuna brought her only added more weight to the burden she already carried. Her eyes watered and she struggled to speak for a moment, until she composed herself and spoke. "We can put the dead in caskets and place them next to ours." she said.  
"Thank you. If there is no other Summoner here, please allow me to perform the sending." she said, solemnly.  
"Thanks be to ye!" said the second Kilikan, appreciatively. He appeared to be middle aged, and had a kindly face.  
"Our loved ones...We feared they would become fiends!" the woman cried, in despair.  
"Please, take me to them." said Yuna.  
The woman gestured for Yuna to follow her, and she led the way along the dock. Lulu and Kimhari followed. Tidus, who was unsure what to do with himself, waited at the foot of the boat for Wakka. He descended the ramp with the Aurochs. "We'll go see what we can do to help in town." said Wakka. He took the Aurochs along the docks, to the part of the village which lay in ruins. Tidus watched them as they began to salvage bits of wood and other materials from the water, in the hopes that they may be used once again to build a home anew.

Tidus took a short look around the town. He could not believe that he had started the day hungover from intoxication. Now here he stood, surveying what he imagined was a peaceful village on the sea, now in ruins. Everybody he looked at either looked hollow or seemed to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. Every heart seemed filled with dread, and sorrow, or empty. Tidus felt thoroughly unnerved. He looked in on a fairly large hut that seemed to have weathered the attack better than most other buildings. It appeared to be reinforced and have additonal layers of protection. It had a sign hanging above its doors with letters he did not recognise. A man stood outside, looking thoroughly miserable. As Tidus walked by, the man caught his eye.  
"Can you believe this?" he said, jabbing his thumb at the sign. "The pub's closed. I don't think I can get through this without a drink." he said sadly.  
'Tell me about it.' thought Tidus. If he could not feel any more sadness in his heart than he did already, he was hurried to the side as the crew of the S.S Liki moved past him, carrying casket after casket towards what Tidus presumed was the chosen burial site. He wondered which casket the steward was in. He followed the crew along the dock until he reached the crowd. They stood, overlooking steps which descended down to the sea. The caskets had been placed in the water and braziers were lit along the dock. Their glow matched the colour of the sun and their warmth slowly replaced the suns as it began to give way to the night.

Tidus spotted Lulu standing alone, behind the crowd. He approached her, tentatively. "Uh, what's a 'sending'? Are we going somewhere?" he asked.  
Lulu huffed. "You truly are clueless. Are you sure it's just your memory that's the problem?" she eyed him scrutinisingly. When Tidus looked at the floor, sadly, she rolled her eyes. "The dead need guidance." she began. "Filled with grief over their own death, they refuse to face their fate. They yearn to live on, and resent those still alive. You see, they envy the living. And in time, that envy turns to anger, even hate. Should these souls remain in Spira, they become fiends that prey on the living. Sad, isn't it?" observing Tidus's reaction. He had said nothing, but the emotion was etched heavily on his face. "The sending takes them to the Farplane, where they may rest in peace." she finished.  
"Summoners do this?" said Tidus, awed.  
Lulu nodded, and turned to look at Yuna, who was standing by the water. Beyond her there were ruins of huts, which had collapsed into the water. There they lay, submerged. She had just finished talking to the village elder, and she bowed to him, deeply. Kimahri stood close by her side, ever the silent guardian. She slipped off her shoes and unsheathed her staff. To the surprise of Tidus she stepped out onto the water, only she remained aloft, walking gracefully. She approached the caskets, which had been positioned in a circle. They had been decorated in such a way that they could have been mistaken for flowers. The caskets appeared as great petals just beneath the water. When Yuna reached the centre she stopped. She hesitated for a brief moment, and she appeared delicate. She took a deep breath and began to dance in the water. She brandished her staff with one hand, majestically, and twirled. She swayed with grace and femininity and danced with such beauty that the onlookers began to weep. Orbs of light began to rise from the water, their light reflected on the water. The braziers that had burned red burst and burned bright blue and the water beneath Yuna's feet burst upwards like a fountain. She continued to twirl and appeared celestial, elevated above. One woman, in awe of what she saw, and a heart weighed down with grief at having to say farewell to her dearest loved, collapsed to her knees. Tidus could not tear his eyes away from the mesmerizing site before his eyes. How such beauty and sadness could become so elegantly entwined was beyond him. Slowly, but surely the lights passed away, and when no more rose up from the sea, the water relaxed and Yuna ceased her dance.

When she finished, she stepped back onto the dock and looked around timidly. It had been her first sending, and she had felt nervous. Nobody said anything, they merely tried to smile. Most simply bowed, to show their appreciation.  
"It must be tough, being a summoner." Tidus said quietly, at Lulu's side.  
"Yuna chose her own path. She knew from the beginning what it meant. All we can do is protect her along the way. Until the end." she said.  
Tidus looked at her, confused. "Until the...end?" he asked, uncertainly. Lulu appeared to stiffen slightly, and she did not meet his eyes. She stared determinedly, out at the ocean.  
"What's the end?" Tidus urged. He spoke louder and more aggressively than he had intended, and it attracted the attention of the surrounding people. Yuna and the village elder, who had been engaged in deep conversation turned to look at him. Tidus looked around at the gawking people, at a loss for words. Lulu huffed a second time and shot him an irritable look. "Until she defeats Sin." she said, and went to join Yuna. She rushed forward to meet Lulu. "I hope...I hope I did okay." she said. She did not sound unlike a child seeing praise and approval from a mother.  
Lulu embraced her warmly. "You did very well!" she praised. "They've reached the Farplane by now. But...no tears next time, hm?" she said, maternally.  
Yuna laughed weakly in her arms. Tidus wished there never would be a next time. He did not wish to see anymore people who were killed by Sin, or see Yuna send them. Seeing everyone stand there and watch her felt strange to Tidus, and horrifying. He knew in his heart that he never wanted to see it again.

He slipped away from the scene quietly, wishing to put as much distance between himself and the grieved as possible. The sun was barely visible above the water, and the night quickly approached. He sought out Wakka and the Aurochs and found them on the other side of the village, having been successful in salvaging a large amount of materials from the water. They looked exhausted but they were not alone. He was greeted by the group when he approached.  
"Hey, Tidus, these are the Kilika beasts. We've been helping them find materials so that they can start repairs." Wakka said, gesturing to the six people standing with the Aurochs. They all wore what Tidus assumed was blitzball clothing, as it was all uniform. They wore green as their primary colour, mixed with blue and yellow patterns. Unlike the full length leg of the Auroch's, the Kilika beasts had opted to wear knee length shorts. "This is Larbeight, Isken, Vuroja, Kulukan, Deim and Nizarut." he said, gesturing from left to right. Tidus looked curiously for a moment at Vuroja, who he noticed had an eyepatch, presumably having lost his eye. He thought momentarily about how different blitzball must be in Spira in comparison to Zanarkand, as a player with one eye would never have been deemed fit to play.  
"Hey guys!" said Tidus, in attempted enthusiasm. He found it difficult to force a smile.  
The Kilika Beasts nodded to him and bowed.  
"We've been fortunate. Luckily we can use much of this material again." said Larbeight.  
"Glad to hear it, brudda." said Wakka.  
"We can start the repairs in the morning!" cheered Kulukan.  
Larbeight smiled at her, and turned back to Wakka. "We heard a rumour that you had decided you won't be playing in this years tournament?" he asked.  
"Mm. I'm a full time guardian now." Wakka nodded.  
"Tis a shame you retired, I know Chappu's death must not have been easy to deal with. You were both an excellent team in the sphere."  
"Don't worry, the Auroch's will still give it their best this year, ya?" Wakka grinned.  
"I hope so! And we'll be trying extra hard this year too. An attack from Sin has given us that extra determination to bring the crystal cup back to our island."  
Wakka bowed to Larbeight. "Anyways, if we want to help you get some work done before we head to Luca tomorrow, we better turn in."  
"Several villagers have offered to give you and your boys bed space tonight. There is also the inn at the door. It has suffered little damage but it is already full up with the other passengers. But they have prepared beds in the reception."  
"Thanks, we appreciate it!" said Wakka. "Come on boys!" he said, to the Aurochs.

Tidus slept on the hard floor of the reception that night. The beds that had been prepared were only thin blankets, and offered little comfort. He was learning that comfort was something that wasn't taken for granted in Spira. He wondered how much more deaths he would have to witness or encounter on the journey, and whether it would ever end. After what felt like hours, he managed to fall asleep.

Morning came when Tidus was shaken awake. He opened his eyes to find Wakka's grinning face staring at him. They ate a quick breakfast, which happened to be sweet, juicy fruits native to the island, with light salad. To drink they had a mug of mead each, which was held in high esteem on the island. When they had eaten, they made their way back to the heart of the wreckage. There was significantly less wreckage in the water that morning. Much had been salvaged, but what had not been recovered from the water the previous evening had been lost to the sea. The sun shone dark orange, emerging from the horizon. They met the Kilika Beasts at the wreckage, already working hard. They had been joined by a couple of villagers and even passengers who had agreed to lend the village their aid. They got to work clearing through their salvage. The process was rather slow, and tedious. Eventually they managed to separate the useful wood, and wood that could be scrapped. The sun slowly rose up into the sky, the and heat slowly burned against Tidus's neck. He was the only one who appeared bothered. The Kilikans were all tanned, as were the Auroch's. The heat was a daily part of life in the southern isles. As the morning sun continued to intensify, the village began to rouse. More came out to help, and they was a collective and mutual feeling of companionship. Villagers came out to offer refreshments and their best wishes to the Kilika Beasts (and in a courteously fashion, to the Aurochs) as they would be leaving for Luca in a few short hours.

By late morning Yuna had awoken, and accompanied by Lulu and Kimahri, had gone down to view the progress with the villagers. She smiled warmly at everyone, although she did not truly feel like smiling. She still felt grief from the night before, and the sending had weighed on her mind heavily. It had been her first sending, and she had not expected to have to send so many, with such an audience. She did not know how she had truly expected her pilgrimage to begin, but she had not expected to come into contact with Sin before she had reached her first destination. She longed to be at Luca, where she could be in the safety of Belgemines company. She wondered where she was, and whether she had come any closer to having the answers she needed. The answers they needed. She spotted Tidus, and watched him carefully. He struggled in the heat, under the pressure of hard labour. She watched him wipe the sweat off of his brow. To Yuna, he appeared to be such a misfit. In comparison to the rest of the people working, he appeared pampered, and soft. She broke her gaze and observed her surroundings. She caught Lulu's eyes and found she looked at her scrutinisingly.  
"Yuna, what is it that Belgemine saw in the boy?" She looked at him with a look that one might give an unpleasant pest.  
"I don't know, Lulu. But what I do know is Belgemine saw something in him, and we've always trusted her, haven't we? So he will stay." said Yuna.  
"She said he will stay until at least Luca. Perhaps he will stay there. I think that would be best."  
Yuna smiled sympathetically at her. "Lulu, I know you don't like him. And I know why. But he's coming with us, and I want him there all the way. I want to ask him to be my guardian."  
Lulu raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Are you sure? Do you really think he would make it all the way to Zanarkand? I mean look at him! He can't even do some light labour without difficulty."  
Yuna followed Lulu's eyeline back to Tidus, where he was indeed struggling. "Even so, I trust him, and I want him with us." she said simply.  
"That is your privilege." Lulu said.  
After that, they spoke no more on the subject. They watched, quietly. As the morning dragged on, they could wait no longer. They had to make haste for the temple else face missing the boat to Luca. Tidus, Wakka and the Aurochs shook hands with the Kilika Beasts and the villagers, who thanked them for their help. Yuna took the lead and made her way out of the village towards the jungle. The temple lay within the seclusion of the jungle, where the clergy believed they would find tranquility. It was also so they would not have to look apon the devastation that Sin leaves behind. Yuna thought of the temple in Besaid, and how it faced away from the sea, so it too, would not have to look apon Sin. She had never questioned this, but she found herself lost in thought over it. Was it not the temples duty to give people hope that Sin will one day be vanquished? Yet they shied away from it, almost as if to refuse to acknowledge its existence.

As they walked along, the Aurochs chatted amongst themselves enthusiastically, discussing the tournament and who they hoped they would face first, and their new goal, victory.  
"On to the temple, where we pray for victory!" Wakka cheered. "High Summoner Ohalland used to live in the Kilika temple here." he explained to Tidus. "Yep, Lord Ohalland was once a great blitzer, you know?"  
"Wakka..." Tidus started.  
"Hm?"  
"Praying for victory's all good...but is this right?" Tidus struggled to word his question.  
"Something wrong with enjoying blitzball?" frowned Wakka.  
"Is this really the time?" Tidus asked, with a pained expression.  
"This is the only time!" replied Wakka, firmly. "The players fight with all their strength; the fans cheer for their favourite team. They forget pain, suffering...Only the game matters! That's why blitz has been around for so long. Least that's what I think." he said, passionately.  
"Whatever you say." Tidus sighed, doubtfully.  
"Let's pray...so they can win! Right?" he encouraged.  
"Right!" Tidus grinned.  
"Temple's beyond the jungle there!" he pointed towards the shore.  
They had lagged behind Yuna and the others during their conversation and found them waiting at the edge of the jungle. As they approached the party, Tidus became aware of Lulu's eye on him. She stared at him with gritted teeth, and she appeared exasperated.  
"Yuna's saying she wants you with us." she said, in a resigned tone.  
He looked at Lulu for a moment, at a loss for words. He turned his head to Yuna, who he noticed had appeared to redden slightly. She looked at him apprehensively before mustering the courage to speak.  
"I want to ask you to be my guardian." she said shyly.  
"Yuna! What? This is no time for jokes, ya?" interjected Wakka. "He may be a blitzball whizz-kid, but up against fiends, he's a newbie." he chuckled.  
"Not a guardian, then...I just want him nearby." she said firmly.  
Wakka's face became contorted as he tried to comprehend what she had just said. Tidus moved closer to her and looked her in the eye. "What? What do you mean? Does this have anything to do with what Belgemine said?"  
"It's just that, well..." she struggled.  
Lulu interrupted, to save Yuna from what she must have sensed was potential embarrassment. "We're all going to the temple anyway. Can't this wait till later?" she suggested.  
Yuna nodded, looking slightly relieved. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..." she began, to Tidus.  
"There's nothing to be sorry about." he said quickly. "I'm just not really sure what's going on."  
"My apologies." she said, bowing her head.  
Tidus simply gaped at her, unsure of what to say. At that moment Kimahri returned from his scouting of the jungle, to confirm that it was safe for them to make for the temple. Despite the crusaders movements and secretive operations within the jungle, he had still deemed it necessary to make his own conclusions.

They followed the path through the jungle, meeting several crusader checkpoints along the way. They would not speak of their plans, but ensured the party that they had the fiends under control, and that they could expect a safe passage. The temple was only a short walk, as the temple was only on the fringes of the jungle, that spanned the whole island. The temple needed to be in walking distance of the village in order to benefit the people there. The jungle was covered in all manners of exotic looking plants and trees, with brightly coloured leaves. Vines hung from above and the ground was mossy, and muddy. Despite the beauty of its flora, it was a very damp, and unpleasant feeling place. The villagers of Kilika lived on its shores because the jungle covered the majority of the island. It was bountiful in food and resources, but also in fiends, which made it a perilous place to settle. They followed the path until they came across the stairs to the temple. The stairs were steep, and towered above. The jungle had invaded its foundations, and weeds and moss grew amongst the steps, which had caused them to crack and fragment.

At the foot of the stairs the Aurochs began stretching, grinning at each other. Wakka let out a gleeful cheer.  
"These stone steps have a history, you know?" he said to Tidus.  
Tidus gazed up at the stone steps in awe. They towered high up on top of the mountain. It was the grandest building he had seen since arriving in Spira.  
"Yep, Lord Ohalland trained here at his peak." he nodded, impressively.  
Whilst Tidus still took in the scale of the building that waited at the peak of the mountain, he noticed the Aurochs laughing mischievously amongst themselves, and looking at Tidus, with a competitive glint in their eyes. Comprehension dawned on Tidus. "A race huh?" he grinned. "Think you can beat me?" he challenged.  
"Yuna, if you would?" Wakka requested.  
Yuna obliged and approached the racers. She raised her arm in referee fashion. "Ready? she paused for dramatic suspense and then quickly ran up the stairs, giggling.  
"Hey!"  
"Heeey!"  
"Ah! Huh? Hey!" Tidus shouted, as the racers all ran off without him. Too far behind to have a chance of winning, he decided not to participate. He looked around at Lulu, who caught his eye.  
"Kids.." she said, with a hint of a smile.  
They walked up together, with Kimahri once again taking the flank. They reached the top of the stairs to the sight of laughter and teasing. Yuna, had managed to win the race, and looked very pleased with herself.  
"It's because you cheat, ya!" puffed Wakka, when he caught up with her.  
She stuck her tongue out at him playfully, and looked around at the temple. The temple towered above them and had the distinct appearance of a building that had been carved into a gigantic coral rock. The rock contained numerous torches, all burning intense flames. It had no real architectural design, except for its courtyard, which was encircled by tall pillars. There were several people standing in the courtyard, mostly Kilikans who had sought the refuge and comfort of Yevon. Yuna spent time talking to some of them, as she felt it was a summoners duty to be concerned about the welfare of all. She was always greeted warmly by those she approached, as if nothing warmed their hearts more than a summoners concern for them.  
"I'm going to pray real hard so that Sin doesn't come back here." said a man in yellow and blue.  
"Climbing those stone steps everyday has kept me in shape. Haven't caught a cold in years!" grinned an old man.  
"I heard famous people come here. Where could they be?" wondered a woman in blue, looking around on her tiptoes.  
"I hear the Crusaders are going to fight Sin without the aid of a summoner. Heh, they've got another thing coming. Haven't they ever heard of divine retribution?" said a man, as he bowed to Yuna in appreciation.  
She came across a couple who lived in Kilika who were going to be departing that day, never to return.  
"I've had enough of Kilika. Too many tearful memories here. We came to visit the temple one last time before we leave for good." said the woman, sadly.  
"We've decided to leave Kilika, and look for a place without Sin. Who knows if we'll ever find it." said the man.  
Yuna bowed to them deeply and sincerely. She truly wished that they had success in their search for a land without Sin, however much she doubted its existence.

As the summoners party approached the main doors, a group of people emerged. They did not appear to be clergy, and they all wore the same uniform colours of purple, with blue and yellow. The torso of their clothing was decorated with crescent moons. They spotted the Aurochs and approached them, all with smirks on their faces.  
"You here to pray for victory, too?" Wakka asked.  
"Us? Pray?" one of them scoffed. He looked particularly more arrogant than the rest and had dark, red hair which sported a blue headband. He stood in the centre of his group, which identified him as their leader. "Who needs to pray? The Luca Goers always win!"  
"Oh yeah? Then why are you here?" Wakka asked, heatedly.  
"We've been praying for some competition this year!" one of the sneered.  
"So what's your goal this time? You gonna 'do your best' again? Hah! It's too bad your best isn't good enough! Why even bother showing up?" the leader jeered.  
"This time they play to win!" Tidus interrupted.  
"Oooh! Play away! Just remember even kids can play, boys." the leader drawled. They walked away, howling with laughter. Hooting and jeering until they were out of earshot.  
"See you in the finals!" Wakka called after them, much too late to be heard.  
The Auroch's walked off towards the temple, with Wakka taking the lead. Tidus, who had lingered back, still stared out towards the steps, after the Luca Goers.  
"The Auroch's will beat them. They have to!" he said, fiercely.  
"You know that team?" Yuna asked him, uncertainly.  
"Putting people down...They're as bad as my old man!" he said.  
"But, Sir Jecht was a kind and gentle man!" she said, shocked.  
"Well, not my Jecht. he huffed.  
Yuna sighed, and hung her head in resignation.

The first thing they encountered when they entered the temple was a thick wall of heat. The room was dark, in contrast to the courtyard. The source of light came from many braziers, thick with flame, that encircled the hall. The braziers stood between the many statues that surrounded them. The hymn of the Fayth could be heard, although its source was unknown. Tidus overheard the Auroch's muttering quietly about their confrontation with the Goers.  
"My poor knees were shakin' when the Goers confronted me." moaned Datto.  
Letty spotted Tidus listening in on the fringe of their group.  
"That was Bickson, their leader. He's a jerk but hes a first-rate blitzer." he said, earning several scowls from the rest of the team.  
Wakka knelt at the statue of High Summoner Ohalland and prayed. "Lord Ohalland, guide our feet." he pleaded.  
A couple of the Kilika Beasts entered the temple and knelt beside him and prayed to their hero.  
There was excited whispers amongst many of the people standing in the hall.  
"I just saw a summoner and her guardian enter the Cloister of Trials." a woman whispered to people around her.  
Yuna looked intrigued, and stood back, waiting. She was soon approached by a young child, a sister of the temple. "Praise be to Yevon, Lady Summoner." she bowed piously to Yuna. She smiled, and knelt down next to the child. "Greeting. My name is Yuna. I have come from the temple in Besaid."  
"Did you like it there, when you studied at my age?" the child asked her.  
"I did, but it was not without its difficulty. I sometimes wished I could just go out and play when I was stuck inside." she giggled.  
"Guess what? I really like studying the scriptures! The monks give us lots of sweets if we study hard!"  
"Oh well, I guess you must be very smart by now then?" Yuna smiled at her.  
"I'm supposed to study real hard and become a nun. But I just wanna run around and play at the beach." she sighed.  
"Being a nun is no small responsibility. People will look to you for their strength sometimes. You will be needed by the people." Yuna encouraged.  
"Thanks Lady Yuna!" she bowed warmly and returned to the study. She had been spotted by the priest, who had come out in search of her. He approached Yuna himself, and bowed to her. "Waiting to enter the chamber of the Fayth?" he asked.  
Yuna nodded faintly. "Forgive me, I am not used to this heat."  
"Kilika temple is the temple of fire." he explained.  
The door to the chamber opened, with a loud rumble. Everyone looked up. Two people emerged, a man and a woman. The man was tall and burly, with great, bulging muscles. His chest was bare, with the exception of leather straps that he wore. He was drenched in sweat and it glistened on his skin. The woman was also scantily clad. Her hair was oily from sweat and she appeared physically weak, yet eyed her spectators with piercing eyes. Her eyes rested on Yuna and she look apon her summoners garb and approached her.  
"A summoner, are you?" she asked.  
"My name is Yuna, I come from the Isle of Besaid."  
"Dona." the woman said, simply. "So you're High Summoner Braska's daughter. That's quite a name to live up to." she scrutinised. "My, my, my...And all these people are your guardians? My, what a rabble!" she eyed the party with mocking eyes. "As I recall, Lord Braska had only two guardians. Quality over quantity, my dear. Whatever were you thinking? I have need of only one guardian. Right, Barthello?" she drawled. Barthello nodded slowly. Kimahri stepped forward towards the man, looking down at him with bared teeth.  
"I only have as many guardians as there are people I can trust. I trust them all with my life! To have so many guardians is a joy, and an honour! Even more so than being my father's daughter. Of course, I would never think of questioning your ways, either. So, Lady Dona, I ask of you: please leave us in peace." said Yuna, calmly.  
Dona looked as if she had just been struck across the face. "You do what you want. Barthello, we're leaving." she said quickly, and departed.  
Yuna sagged for a moment. She did not enjoy confrontation, and it always put her on edge.  
"The fayth is below. Let's do it!" Wakka said.  
The party made their way up the steps, whilst spectators wished them luck and cheered for them. They entered a hall with an aged, rickety looking elevator at the end. "Kimahri? Wakka? Ready?" Lulu asked, when they were all on the platform. "Strength, everyone!" Yuna said. No sooner had Tidus stepped onto the platform, he was shoved off by Kimahri, who merely shook his head at him. "Wha? Hey, what gives?" Tidus demanded.  
"You're not a guardian yet." said Lulu, with the hint of a smirk.  
"Um... We'll be back as soon as we can, okay?" Yuna said, apologetically.  
"Oh, sure! Soon like "tomorrow" soon, I bet!" Tidus called after them, sarcastically, as the platform lowered and they were out of sight. He stood there waiting, impatiently. He thought back to his experience in the temple on Besaid and how Yuna had ended up being in there all day. It had been the day of the party, when the villagers and guests were down at the beach, Wakka had stayed behind so that he could keep up to date with Yuna's progress. Tidus had been napping in Wakka's hut when he had heard the priest enter. "You could at least go see how they are doing." he had said.  
"We can't interfere. It's a rule." Wakka explained.  
"But It's been nearly a day." he had said, worried.  
When Tidus had woken up, the hut had been empty. He had made his way to the temple, and had found Wakka and the priest engaged in urgent conversation.  
"Is something wrong?" he had asked.  
"The summoner hasn't returned. Well, apprentice summoner, really..." Wakka said, with concern.  
When Tidus had looked at him with a vacant expression, he had explained that beyond the doors in the temple lay the chamber of the Fayth, and there the apprentice summoner prayed with all their heart for a way to defeat Sin. If the prayers were heard, they would become a fully-fledged summoner.  
"So someone is in there somewhere and they haven't come back out. Right, I got it." he had said.  
"Almost a whole day has already gone by, they went in early this morning." Wakka said.  
"Is it particularly dangerous in there?" he had wondered.  
"Sometimes, yes."  
"Why don't you go in and help?" he asked.  
"There's already guardians in there. Besides, it's forbidden." Wakka had explained.  
Tidus rushed up the stairs and turned to face Wakka. "Hey, but what if something happens? What if the summoner dies!?" he shouted.  
"The precepts must be obeyed!" commanded the priest.  
"Like I care!" Tidus had yelled back, to the horror of the people who had observed the situation. As he had forced open the doors, the last thing he heard from the main hall was peoples horrified screams and cries of concern. He had acted on impulse and as he walked down the hall he had began to feel that he may have made a grave mistake. "Hey!" Wakkas voice had come from behind him. "What's gotten into you?"  
Tidus said nothing, and simply gaped at him.  
"Hey, it's okay." Wakka said, reassuringly. "Only summoners, apprentice summoners, and their guardians can enter here. It's a tradition. Very important." he reminded him.  
"So what about you?" Tidus had asked, skeptically.  
"Me? I'm a guardian." he said, proudly.  
"A guardian?" he looked at Wakka, doubtfully.  
They stepped onto the elevator and descended.  
"Summoners go on a pilgrimage to pray at every temple in Spira. Guardians protect them. The guardians in there now...One of them's got a short fuse, and who knows what the other's thinking."  
They stepped off the elevator and Wakka composed himself for a moment. "Well, now that we've come this far...might as well go all the way!" he said. They stepped in to the chamber and at the foot of the steps had stood Kimahri, with Lulu sitting.  
"What are you doing here? Didn't think we'd be able to handle it?" demanded Lulu, standing up to face him.  
"No, it's uh...it's just..." he stuttered, fearfully.  
She glared and walked forward.  
"See, I told you she gets mad easy." Wakka had muttered to Tidus.  
"Is the summoner alright?" Tidus had asked.  
Lulu snapped her head round to look at him. "Who are you?" she said, with a look of great displeasure.  
As Tidus opened his mouth to speak they heard the door to the chamber open. Yuna had stepped out weakly, with a look of relief on her face. She had staggered and Kimahri had rushed to support her. "I've done it! I have become a summoner!" she had announced.

Tidus wondered what awaited Yuna in this temple, whether it was the same as in Besaid. This was the first temple she had visited as a summoner, rather than as an apprentice. He heard the doors open again, from the main hall. Dona and Barthello had returned.  
"Where's Yuna?" she demanded.  
Tidus indicated below.  
"Then why are you here?" she eyed him suspiciously with her piercing eyes.  
"Hey, I'm not a guardian, so I'm not supposed to go in, right?" he said.  
"Hmmm. Not a guardian, you say?" she pondered. She smirked slyly, with a look that Tidus did not trust. She looked at Barthello, who nodded and moved towards Tidus, and lifted him up.  
"Hey! Wait! Ah! Lemme go! Ow! Hey! What's the big idea?" he cried, struggling and flailing. Barthello carried him towards the elevator, which had returned from its journey below. He threw Tidus onto the platform and blocked him from escape.  
"Just a little game." Dona drawled at him.  
"Huh?" he said, as the elevator made its second descent. "This is bad, really bad." he said frightened. Unlike the last time, where he had been ignorant to the ramifications, now he knew full well. When he reached the bottom he remained on the elevator, desperate for it to return to the surface. "Come on, go up! Go up!" he urged. When it did not move, he began to panic. He turned to the door which lead to the chamber with fearful eyes. "Only guardians allowed, and I'm sure no guardian. Well, I guess it's too late now." he concluded, and with a deep breath, forced open the doors.

Tidus entered the room of waiting to the sound of the hymn of the fayth, and mixed reactions. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wakka fretted, covering his face with his hands. Lulu had glared at him and let out a small, fearful gasp. Kimahri had said nothing, and stood with folded arms, by the door to the chamber.  
"It was Dona and that big musclehead man!" he explained hastily, desperate to make himself understood as Lulu approached him, looking livid.  
"Yuna will be the one to suffer the consequences!" she said with clenched teeth.  
"She could be excommunicated!" Wakka worried. He paced around. Tidus tried to approaching him but he put his hands up in protest. "Just wait." he urged.  
"So what is the fayth?" he asked.  
"The fayth are people who gave their lives to battle Sin. Yevon took their souls, willingly given from their still-living bodies. Now they live forever, trapped in statues. But when a summoner beckons, the souls of the fayth emerge once again. That's what we call an aeon." Lulu explained.  
"All that in this room?" he wondered.  
"She prays with all her heart for a way to defeat Sin." said Wakka.  
"The chamber beyond is a sacred place. Only summoners may enter." said Lulu.  
"What, even guardians can't go?" Tidus asked.  
"It's taboo!" said Wakka, still pacing around nervously. "Just wait." he repeated, as Tidus tried to approach him. The time passed slowly, as they waited, and waited. The sound of the hymn surrounded them, a voice sung deeply. Wakka still paced, although more sporadically. Tidus sighed impatiently, earning himself reproachful looks from Lulu. Eventually, the door to the chamber opened, and Yuna emerged. Her guardians went to her side, and gave her praise, and words of encouragement. She looked at Tidus and smiled faintly, she did not appear at all surprised to see him there.

They left the temple with little trouble. As Tidus had entered with a summoners party, nobody had any reason to believe he was not guardian. Several people bowed and cheered them as they made their way towards the grand steps. Seeing Yuna surrounded by adoration caused Tidus to think back to his fame in Zanarkand. He had been adored too, people would wait hours just to catch a glimpse of him. He would spend entire evenings signing autographs and talking to his fans. Tidus had always craved the attention, and here, for the first time, he was unknown. He lagged behind the others, lost in his own thoughts. Yuna noticed him, and walked over to comfort him. "Are...are you okay?" she asked.  
"I...I don't know." Tidus answered, truthfully.  
"What do you want to do?" she asked slowly.  
"To scream real loud."  
Yuna chuckled nervously, unsure of whether or not his answer was sincere. Her question was answered as Tidus let out a loud, prolonged scream, causing Wakka and Kimahri to whirl round. Lulu, seemed it best to ignore him, and had continued on.

They returned to the village to find their ship had arrived and was awaiting them. The Kilika Beasts had not boarded yet, as they were trying to squeeze in as much work as they possibly could, until they could wait no more. At the dock, several villagers had come to see them off.  
"The sea sure looks beautiful from here, but Sin's lurking out there, somewhere. It gives me the creeps just thinking about it. Stay safe, Lady Yuna." said a woman, who had been gazing out at the ocean, with nervous eyes.  
"Sin is a divine punishment upon the people. There is nothing we can do about it. We can only rely on Yevon's teachings and the summoners to help us through this." the old man said to her, nodding at Yuna.  
"Are you actually getting on this boat or what?" said a sailor to Larbeight, who could be seen hammering away not too far from the ship.  
"We're off to Luca as soon as I finish this off.  
Just wait and see. We'll win for sure." he called.  
"We're off to Luca as soon as the captain says we are! With or without you!" the sailor shouted back. "Welcome aboard the S.S Winno, Lady Summoner." he added to Yuna, smiling.  
"Thank you." Yuna bowed.  
"Right, that's it. We're leaving!" the sailor announced, once the summoner party was on board. A scramble was heard, and the collective sound of dropped tools as the Kilika Beasts were seen sprinting across the docks to reach the boat, much to the sailors delight.  
"You could have just waited for us." Kulukan pouted.  
"Yeah." The sailor agreed. "But where would be the fun in that?" he chuckled.  
"Off to Luca at last!" Wakka cheered with the Auroch's. "The matches start as soon as we get there, so rest up on the way, ya?"  
Tidus looked out at the village, as the ship set sail and departed. He watched it fade out of view, wondering if it would ever recover.

The night on the sea was calm. Kilika was long behind, and the S.S Winno was making good time towards its destination of Luca. The day had passed with little event, and there had been much enjoyment concerning the stillness of the air, and the quiet of the ocean. Despite this apparent calm, there was a strong presence of apprehension amongst the ship, as crew were now carrying weapons on them, and eyeing the water with nervous eyes. Kilika had not been a pleasant experience, and now minds turned to more exciting distractions, such as blitzball. The ship was expected to arrive in Luca the next morning, and both passenger and crew alike were getting restless.

Yuna, once again, seemed to be surrounded by admirers. She did not seem pleased by the attention. If anything, her experiences in Kilika had made her slightly cynical. She had encountered Sin, and she thought back to the fin in the water, and the swarms of its spawn. Her guardians kept close watch. Kimahri, as always, was closest to her. Lulu and Wakka stood close to one and other, peering out at the dark waves of the vast ocean.  
"Wakka, can we talk?" asked Lulu.  
"Uh, sure. Lu." He said, nervously.  
Lulu made her way up onto the privacy of the upper deck, indicating for him to follow. When they reached the top, Wakka plonked himself down onto the wooden deck, and looked up at her with a look of uncertainty, and a small indication of apprehension. Lulu looked out at the sea, she gazed upon the reflection of the stars shimmering in the water, like diamonds. "Yuna seems to be growing attached to the boy." she said.  
"yeah, I know what you mean." Wakka agreed. There was silence between them. Lulu simply stared at him, whilst Wakka returned her gaze with a confused expression.  
"Well? Say something. You'll take responsibility?" she pressed.  
"Relax! He's bound to know someone in Luca." Wakka reassured her.  
"And if not?"  
"He could always join a blitz team. Anyhow, it's better than just leaving him in Besaid!" he said.  
"What? Just leaving him in Luca?" Lulu asked, incredulously.  
"What do you want me to do?" he whined.  
"Yuna wants to make him a guardian, and Belgemine wants him with us." said Lulu, simply.  
"Oh yeah, geez...There's that too, eh?" he sighed.  
"And whose fault is that?" she shot.  
"Not mine!" Wakka huffed, indignantly.  
Lulu simply stared at him, watching as his resolve weakened and he succumbed to her harsh, staring eyes.  
"It is mine huh?" he said sadly, as he hung his head. He stayed quiet for a moment, before speaking again. "Why do you think she wants to make him a guardian anyway?"  
"Because he's Sir Jecht's son." Lulu replied, matter of factly.  
"Oh, right. Wait, you sure 'bout that? He's really Sir Jecht's son?" he asked.  
"It's hard to say, but Yuna seems to believe so." she mused.  
"Okay." he said.  
""Okay?" "Okay"? That's all you have to say?" she said, flaring up.  
"Well, yeah, I mean...He's gotta decide for himself ya? Well, him and Yuna, I guess." he concluded.  
"You're right, for once." Lulu agreed, with a strong and unforgiving sense of shock.  
Wakka shot her a furtive look. Lulu chose to ignore it and looked up at the stars. "I wonder which is best...Why don't you tell him he should?" she asked Wakka.  
"Should what?"  
"Become Yuna's guardian."  
"Why me?" he insisted.  
"Because Yuna can't."  
"Why not?"  
"He hates his father - what he was, what he did. Do you really think she can possibly say to him..."I want you to be my guardian, like your father was to mine"?  
"Aren't you being over-sensitive?" Wakka said. When he saw the look of fury developing on Lulu's face, he hastily withdrew his comment. "All right, all right. I'll try talking to him after the tournament."  
Lulu nodded in satisfaction. "Be discreet." she advised.  
"I know. It's his decision." he nodded.  
They both stared up at the stars for a time. They seemed to invite so many questions into the mind. "He doesn't like his father?" Wakka asked.  
"Apparently. He told Yuna as much." she said.  
Wakka snorted. "Hating your own father, huh? Sounds like a luxury to me. I don't even remember my parents. Can't say how I feel about 'em."  
"I...I was five then, so I remember mine a little." Lulu said, hesitantly.  
"Dammit!" Wakka said, suddenly slamming his fist against the deck, causing Lulu to turn around in surprise. "Sin just takes everything away from us." His yes became red, and tears began to form, but he did not let them fall. Lulu approached him and slowly knelt down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Courage, Wakka. We will bring the calm." she attempted a smile.  
He looked at her for a moment, then gave her a sad smile. "You used to have such a lovely smile you know, Lu. Do you remember how happy we used to be as kids?"  
"We made the best of what we had." she said.  
"You used to have beautiful red hair, and you were always teasing us, but you had a good sense of humour." he continued.  
"What's your point, Wakka?" she asked.  
"You know what my point is. This (He indicated at her attire) isn't you. You're not like this, you've grown so cold over the years. You used to be so warm, and strong. Then you went off on pilgrimage and you came back changed. We were all understanding when you returned, but you shouldn't blame yourself for Lady Gi..."  
"Enough!" she hissed, interrupting him. She got up and stormed down the stairs of the upper deck and did not speak to him for the rest of the night.

Below deck, Yuna was being admired by the Luca Goers. Tidus, who had been in his cabin, had since emerged and had headed towards the crowd out of interest, but also out of a sense of protectiveness. He knew he need not worry, as Kimahri always watched over her closely, yet he felt he should be there.  
"What are you all talking about?" Tidus asked.  
The Goers turned around, eyeing him with disgust. Bickson, their leader, squared up to him and smirked. "Who are you supposed to be?" he asked.  
"Ah, I remember him. Guy from Kilika. You know, one of the Besaid Aurochs. Said somethin' about winning the cup." one of the Goers said.  
"Oh, right. You're that idiot." Bickson sneered.  
"Don't call him that!" Yuna said quietly, yet there was an authority to her words.  
"But he is an idiot. They don't got what it takes to win the cup." Bickson insisted.  
"Well, they do now that I'm here!" Tidus declared.  
"Yes, they will win! He used to be the star player of the Zanarkand Abes!" Yuna declared.  
The Luca Goers roared with laughter.  
"Yeah, as if anyone lived in those ruins." one of them chortled.  
"It's not ruins, there's a big city there! There is!" Yuna told them.  
"I-I got too close to Sin and-" Tidus began.  
"There is a city, really!" Yuna spoke over him. Having said her piece, she turned her back on the Goers, and on Tidus, and did not look at them again.  
"Right. Whatever your Ladyship says." Bickson said, coolly. The Goers walked away, muttering under their breaths and shooting uncertain looks at Yuna's back.  
Tidus watched them walk away and turned to Yuna. She hung her head sadly, and appeared to be deeply troubled.  
"What's wrong? You seemed kinda mad back there." Tidus said uncertainly.  
"They were being rude and...I do believe your Zanarkand exists. I really do, you know!" she said.  
"How come?" Tidus wondered.  
"Sir Jecht used to always tell me stories. It'd be great to see your home someday. I'd love to go there." she said, smiling at him warmly. Tidus thought he saw a hint of hope in her eyes, a brief glimmer of yearning. It inspired strong feelings in him, and he was momentarily distracted by thoughts of Zanarkand, and entertaining Yuna at his home...  
"Yeah." he breathed. It was just about all he could manage in that moment. Yuna smiled at him and returned to Kimahri, no doubt to ensure that she was not bothered again by awestruck passengers.

Tidus walked slowly along the deck. He seemed to be getting curious glances from people, and he heard loud, audible whispers.  
"The Aurochs are the team to watch this year. They say they got a blitzer from Zanarkand on their team!"  
"Oh, come on! You actually believe that rumor?"  
Tidus hung his head, sadly. He felt trapped. Nobody believed him, and he wasn't even certain he truly believed himself anymore. Had he been affected by Sins toxin? Was everything he thought to be true just a result of him being sick? These questions mulled through his mind until he found himself at the back of the ship. The deck was empty, save for a lone blitzball that had been forgotten. It lay there, almost calling to him. If everything he knew to be true was a lie, then why did he remember it so prominently? His mind wandered to Zanarkand, and to his father. He learnt to play blitzball as a child, as he wanted his father to be proud of him. However, all Jecht ever did was put him down. It did not discourage him, in fact it only made Tidus more determined, as he wanted to prove the man wrong. These thoughts of Jecht's discouragements haunted Tidus, even to that day. He recalled in particular, one of his fathers shots, which he insisted Tidus would never be able to perform, nor anybody else for that matter, as he considered himself the best. The anger built inside him as he stared down at the ball resting on the deck. He kicked the ball against the wood and as it returned back to him, with spectacular finesse, he leapt into the air and kicked the ball far out to sea. He stood in shock for a moment, and took surprise at what he had just done. He turned around to find he had an audience.  
"Whoa! What's that called?" exclaimed Wakka.  
"Doesn't have a name. Anyone can do it if they try." Tidus grinned.  
"Show us one more time, ya?" Wakka said.  
As Wakka and the aurochs backed away from him, he looked to Yuna, who waved at him with a knowing grin. He smirked at the ball, wishing his father could see him now, and kicked. After all was said and done, the Aurochs were in high spirits, and roamed the deck with blitzballs, practicing what they had just witnessed. Most of the ship was in agreement that it was a lost cause, but nobody told the Aurochs that as they had been short on entertainment on the trip, and it provided amusement until they reached Luca. Tidus looked to Yuna, who was beckoning him over.  
"That was the Jecht shot, wasn't it?" she asked.  
"How do you know that?" he said in surprise.  
"Sir Jecht showed it to me when I was a child. He called it the "Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark III"" she laughed.  
Tidus sighed. "Stupid name, huh? You know what? There is no Mark I or Mark II, you know? My old man said the name Mark III was just something to hook the ccrowd. He said they'd come back every night expecting to see Mark I and Mark II. And, they really did come back. I used to get so mad."  
Yuna laughed, and a long silence followed.  
"Is he alive, you think?" he wondered.  
"I don't know. But, Sir Jecht was my father's guardian."  
"So he's famous here, too?" Tidus said incredulously.  
"Yes. So if anything happened to him, I should think word would get around fast. What would you do, if you found him?" Yuna said.  
"Who knows? I thought he died ten years ago. Well...I'd probably just smack him one. After everything he put Mom and me through. And because he was famous, I was always...Well, you should know, Yuna. Your father's famous, too. Everyone in Spira knows him, right? Ain't it tough?"  
Yuna considered him for a moment. "It is hard to follow in his footsteps, as a summoner. But the honor of having a father like him surpasses all that, I think."  
"Well, there wasn't much to honor about my old man, that's for sure." Tidus scoffed.  
"You shouldn't say that about your father!" Yuna said, reproachfully.  
"I got the right!" he huffed.  
"Hm. I guess you do." she conceded.  
Before he could speak again, Tidus was hit on the head by a rogue blitzball, which turned out to not be rogue at all, but Wakka's doing.  
"Show me that move again!" he called.  
"Yo!" replied Tidus.  
He waved Yuna goodbye, who retired to her cabin for the night. A black clothed figure caught his eye, and he looked up and saw what he thought was the swish of long, black braided hair, turning away from the spot that overlooked the lower deck. Would he ever be given peace?

He spent the next couple of hours practicing with the Auroch's, and encouraging them as they all jumped into the air, trying to master the shot that had inspired them. After a while, when they began to tire, they snuck out the remaining bottles of rum they had stolen on the way to Kilika. They soon became merry, and the deck was filled with their laughter until Wakka came and hounded them off to bed. Tidus barely slept that night, excitement built within him, and the thought of seeing an actual city again brought him much joy.


	6. Luca

Luca was one of only two remaining cities in Spira, and the largest settlement of the Djose continent, which was the southern landmass of Spira. It sat on the edge of the sea, and it had close ties with the southern isles, due to availability of transport, and engaged in much trade there. On the mainland, besides Luca itself there were few small settlements on the fringes of the Mihen highroad, which acted as the chief route to the town of Djose, and the Crusader Kingdoms.

Unlike the people of the southern isles, who were charactarised by their warm tans, the people of Luca did not have distinguishable characteristics of their own. Luca was a diverse city, and not only Humes inhabited it, but also Guado and Ronso. The people of Luca were very welcoming, and they belonged to nobody but themselves. It was a city of great entertainment, as it contained the only blitzball sphere in all of Spira, and thus was always where the tournaments were held. This position made Luca a very wealthy city, and many merchants walked its streets, which were filled with as many markets and stalls. It was once said that anything anybody desired could be found in Luca. It's emphasis on wealth, entertainment and pleasure sometimes put it at odds with Yevon, who believed that Lucans placed too much emphasis on them and not on their relationship with the temple. This rift was not enough to cause any severe divisions between the two, however, as Yevon sponsored the tournaments held there yearly, as they were a much needed distraction from living in fear of Sin.

The city was well guarded. Many Crusaders watched over it, especially during times such as the upcoming tournament. Whilst these Crusaders used to be provided for to some extent by Yevon, this was no longer so. The Crusaders had been excommunicated a century previously, due to their continuous cooperation with the Al Bhed, and their willingness to help them in times of need. Their argument had been, and always would be that the protection of all the people of Spira was a Crusaders duty, and not just those who chose to place their faith in the temple. When they were excommunicated, they traveled to the coasts of Djose town, and there they settled the fortresses and watch towers that had been constructed there since centuries past. Originally intended to serve as defensible positions against Sin, they were now prosperous and strong Kingdoms in their own right. This case of Djose independence meant that much Crusader might now stayed there, to defend its lands. Before their independence they had bases all across Spira, and to some extent they still did. However, what was once thousands of Crusaders given to Luca's defence had in recent years declined to mere hundreds. Yevon, who was accustomed to sponsoring Luca during blitzball tournaments had began to offer small contributions of the Warrior Monks to help maintain security. However, these numbers still did not come close to what it had been in years past.

What was more curious was the fact that it wasn't only Crusaders of Djose and Monks of Bevelle who seemingly ensured Luca's safety. Rumours reached Luca over the years of Humes who roamed the wilds, the vast wilderness beyond the roads. When they did come into the city they had the appearance of wary travellers, mysterious in nature. Lucans soon began to refer to them as Rangers, and curious myths surrounded them. They apparently had the ability to run faster than any Hume, were keen in both sight and hearing and some claimed, had power over animals and even fiends. Lucans were welcome for what news they brought, and sometimes the Rangers shared with them stories from all across Spira, but Lucans never made friends of them, as they never fully trusted them.

Another curiosity of Luca was the relationship they had with the Al Bhed. No other settlement in Spira had populations of Al Bhed who lived alongside other Spirans. Yevon had constantly preached against this, but they had little authority over what Luca chose to do, as it was a city of such significance, Yevon was forced to tolerate it. The Al Bhed of Luca tended to keep very much to themselves and established many inns and bars, not just in Luca but beyond. One very particular Al Bhed called Rin had travel agencies across Spira which had made him very wealthy, and in Luca, very well respected. Al Bhed in Luca were referred to non-offensively as "Maccies" by Lucans, do to their great enthusiasm for machina. Unlike other Al Bhed across Spira, as they were not nomadic like many chose to be, they did not go out and actively seek salvage, but much of it was brought to Luca where it was purchased and tinkered with in many workshops and storehouses around the city. It was using this salvage that lead to many fascinating toys and novelties being created for both child and adult alike. They were also happy to help maintain and repair the blitzball sphere, and any other Yevon approved machina. Their great contribution to Luca was of great significance in the cities rise to prosperity after the emergence of Sin one thousand years past.

When approaching Luca from the sea, the first thing a weary traveler would notice was the great stadium. It sprawled out into the sea and was interconnected with the docks. All ships that entered Luca would dock next to the stadium. The docks themselves were like a small settlement due to their size. Merchants had set up small markets and makeshift homes, and many slept in tents. This level of loitering may have been considered a nuissance if it did not bring the city so much Gil. The local authority charged a small tax for merchants who loitered on the docks, which they more than happily paid. It was here on the docks where people could purchase unofficial, non sanctioned blitzball merchandise. Replicas of all the blitzball teams clothes were sold, as were toys. Everyone who could not navigate the vast markets of the main city were more than happy to pay a little extra Gil on the docks, where the merchandise was so readily available right there outside the doors of the stadium. By the standards of centuries long past, Luca itself was not a particularly large settlement. It may have only had a few hundred buildings at most. The city was small, and well structured, not in terms of infrastructure but of shape. It was almost built into a well sized, square. The city was surrounded by trees and from the high steps which lead to the Mihen Highroad, one could see all of Luca, nestled quite confortably in its position on the bay. It was a colourful city, and most of the buildings opted for bright coloured roofs. There were many reds, and blues, greens and yellows. In some cases there were purples, and these may or may not have been favoured by the Al Bhed, who despite much integration with the community, still enjoyed a certain level of distinguishability.

Despite the decline of Yevon in Luca over the past century, the temple and its teachings were still relevant to the lives of the inhabitants. Since its founding, there had never been a temple in Luca, as it had began as a gateway to the Djose content from the isles, and had never been a planned settlement. A monastery for travellers was constructed during its early days, and it was still there. Whereas once it had been able to offer bed and board for free, Luca had grown to be too much for it to support, and now charged for its services. Other inns had emerged in order to acommodate the great influx of travellers to Luca, and as such, the Al Bhed were particularly good at offering hospitality. Some inns in question only served Al Bhed or people of a more questionable nature. It was in such places that some travellers with more delicate business chose to take refuge whilst visiting the city.

It was mid morning when the passengers of the S.S Winno first caught sight of the statium. The sky was clear, and the sun shone brightly. It was cooler in Luca, and the ocean breeze was a welcome change from the intense heat of the southern isles. There were many ships in the water surrounding the docks, which appeared to be bustling with activity. A commentator could be heard from the stadium.  
" ...he shoots...gooooooaaaaallll! Unbelievable! Ladies and gentleman, the day we've all been waiting for, the opening tournament of the season. This event is sponsored by Yevon. And this year we celebrate Maester Mika's 50th year in office!"  
After much time spent waiting for a space to open up, the S.S Winno finally docked. The ship attracted a great amount of attention. Not only had it departed from Kilika, which had endured an attack from Sin, but it was also carrying three blitzball teams and two summoners, which made it the most important ship to dock that morning. As the ramp came down, they were greeted by cheers and applause. There were sphere recorders to the crowd, eager to capture the footage which would be playing live across countless spheres in the city. The announcers could be heard on the speakers that were placed at various points on the docks.  
"Ah, over there! The ships carrying the players are arriving now! This would be dock number 2. All the way from Kilika, it's the Kilika Beasts! High Summoner Ohalland used to play for them-a big name to live up to. Their hometown was recently attacked by Sin. Isn't that right, Jimma?"  
"Yes, Bobba. They're going to be pulling out all the stops to try and bring back the cup this year.  
Bobba: Exciting, isn't it folks? Our next team off the ramp is...Well, well, well! If it isn't the Besaid Aurochs! They're a living, breathing statistical impossibility! I've never seen a team this bad! That's right! In twenty-three years they've never made it past the first round! Only a few die-hard fans are in the audience today. Best of luck to them and a safe journey back to Besaid."  
"Right, Jimma. Moving right along, our next team is... Here they are, folks! Our very own Luca Goers! They've got power! They've got speed! They've got teamwork! They're an all-around first-class team! And they're back home in Luca!"  
"Without a doubt, they are the favorite this year, Bobba. And after the way they dominated last year, it'd take a miracle for them to lose today."  
"You can say that again, Jimma. Look at the crowd, folks! Look at the crowd! Looks like all of Luca has turned out to cheer the Goers on! They know, I know, and you know, folks! The Luca Goers are number one!"  
Tidus stamped his foot angrily on the dock.  
"It's like this every year, ya? Don't let it bother you." said Wakka.  
Tidus did not appear to listen to him, and instead found an idle megaphone atop one of the crates and snatched it up. He climbed onto the crates so that he stood above the crowd and spoke into the microphone.  
"Stop right there, Goers! You guys are smilin' now, but not for long! 'Cause this year, us Aurochs are taking the cup!" he jeered. Wakka had buried his face in his hands. "What in Yevon's name were you doing up there?" he moaned, when Tidus rejoined them.  
"We sure stood out, though!" Datto said, excitedly.  
"We were on the sphere!" said Letty.  
"We were?" Jassu said, in surprise.  
This excited talk continued amongst the Aurochs for some time, until they finally bid farewell to the party and made their way to the stadium. The summoners party made their way from the docks into the main city.  
"Where are we staying?" asked Lulu.  
"Somewhere discreet." said Yuna, evasively.  
"You'd be lucky to find anywhere discreet here, except for maybe Al Bhed places." said Wakka. When he caught her eye, she looked at him apologetically.  
"Belgemine told me of a place that is discreet even by Al Bhed standards. It may not be the most comfortable place, or even have the most respectable patrons, but Belgemine believed we'd be safe there."  
Wakka huffed in disbelief but did not press the matter.  
"I am eager to speak to Belgemine, it would be nice to finally have some answers to her riddles." admitted Lulu, as she shot Tidus another disapproving look over her shoulder. Tidus, who was still being treated as the mule, trailed behind the group.  
"She said she'd be meeting us there, and that she would be in Luca during the tournament." Yuna reassured her.  
The trip through the city was not as enjoyable as it could have been under more pleasant and careless circumstances. For one thing, Yuna made it imperative that they avoided as many people as possible. Whilst Luca had enough people to make it easy to blend in with a crowd, a summoner was still an identifiable figure, and she did not wish to draw needless attention to herself. Having reached the edge of the docks they opted to divert from the main pathway which led to the city centre and instead made their way down the side streets of Luca. The city was a very colourful place, and during the time of the tournament, considerably noisy. Balloons floated overhead, and the streets were filled with cheers and laughter, and the sound of energetic music. Many houses had bright coloured banners (no doubt representing their favourite teams) hanging from the windows. As they walked down the side streets, banners became less prominent and the sound of laughter died out, and it soon became eerily quiet. Houses which had been bright in colours of red, yellows and blues soon became darker in colour and it became evidently clear that they must be approaching the Al Bhed part of the city, who were rumoured to live alongside the people of Luca, but in a less integrated fashion. They walked briskly, as although Al Bhed were considered friendly enough in Luca, to those who had little exposure to them, they were intimidating people. Rumours of heathens who tinkered with machina forbidden by the sacred scriptures, who cared little for the well being of Spira and its inhabitants had reached the ears of the peoples of the southern isles. It was true that contact with such people had been made from time to time, and that they had indeed been at Oaka's party. However, during that incident they had dressed more modestly and less in their heathen fashion that they were known for. For during that time had been a rare incident where Yevonites had seen Al Bhed for who they really were, they had seen their blonde hair and green eyes, their iris's with their unique swirls. It was customary for Al Bhed to be masked, or at least to wear goggles. It was this appearance that had made them objects of fear to many citizens of Spira, and whether it was done deliberately, or whether it was a custom they simply did not understand was unknown.

They soon found themselves at the end of the street. At the edge of the city, slightly overshadowed by the nearby woods stood a dark purple building with an aged, worn sign hanging over it. The sign was in no lettering that any Yevonite could understand, and it the party could only assume that this was their destination. It intimidated them at first, as it appeared much darker than it was, due to the shade from the trees, and the mistrust that Yevonites carried for such places. They lingered hesitantly outside of the door for a little while, unsure whether or not to go in. Their fears subsided slightly when they heard a sphere playing from the inside, and a merry cheer from people inside. Excited talk could be heard, and to their surprise and relief it was not just Al Bhed, but Yevonite also. Yuna, who had stepped up in front of the party, smiled encouragingly and made to open the door. Kimahri, however, did not seem entirely convinced and brushed her gently aside. He opened the door and stepped inside, with one final glance at each other, they all followed.

They had stepped into what looked like the reception. Inside, they were met with warm, thick air and the smell of pipe weed and ale seemed to come from one of the back rooms. It smelt like the road, and many days travelled. At the front desk, a woman stood. Her garment was unusual, and could only be presumed to be Al Bhed. It appeared to be a one piece suit of red and black that zipped up all the way to the neck. Her goggles covered her eyes, but her shoulder length, bright blonde hair hung freely. She turned her head to them, but her reaction was not possible to read.  
"Yes?" she said, with an exotic accent.  
"Excuse me, we need beds for five, and a place for our luggage. Are you Dreava?" Yuna asked politely.  
"That's right! Dreava is my name, or Drea for short. So, a "summoner" eh? Can't believe I never thought of that myself. Does it bring in good Gil?" she asked.  
Yuna simply gaped at her for a moment before speaking with caution. "I suppose it does, but you don't expect me to share my trade secret so soon do you?"  
"Hah, no of course not! I suspect you have plenty of stories though, and tricks up your sleeve no doubt! A summoner! I can't believe I didn't think of that." she said again, shaking her head.  
Wakka began to grit his teeth, so that it became unfortunately rather audible, and caused Drea to turn her head in his direction. "You really need so many guardians to pull off this kind of gig?" she asked, doubtfully.  
"Well I figured the more guardians I have, the more credible I am, that way it inspires more confidence, and people will give me more gifts!" Yuna said, rather hastily, but not so hastily that it aroused suspicion.  
Drea smiled and snapped her fingers. "Damn, you're a cunning one! Must be a nightmare dividing the Gil though, still if it rakes in more in the long run, then why not? I Personally like to run my operations with as few shills as possible, cuts out the risk of mutiny and arguments over share." she mused.  
"With all due respect, we came here because we heard it was a place to stay if we needed somewhere discreet." said Yuna.  
Drea smirked, and nodded. "Right you are, "M'lady Summoner"!"  
"Shinra!" she shouted. "Shinra, you little rascal, where are you?"  
"What is it now?" A young child mooched down the stairs. He was dressed in a full one piece suit and his face was fully concealed by a mask, which muffled his voice. He was completely unreadable, at least to Yuna and her companions.  
"We have company. We have five beds that need doing, and they will be wanting food too, no doubt. No, don't look at me like that, do as you're told. You can go fiddle with your thing upstairs later, and you know I mean that machina you're working on. Honestly, when did you develop such a dirty mind?"  
She turned to her guests and smirked apologetically. "I am sorry for him, he is young and a very lazy boy, smart though. Now, I will direct you through to the main lounge, where our other patrons are. When your rooms have been prepared I will come and get you, yes? Now is there anything else I can get for you?"  
"No, that will be all thank you." Yuna smiled.  
"Oh just one more thing, whilst we respect peoples privacy here, we do ask that you leave your weapons in your rooms. It is nothing personal, it's just we don't take a liking to clearing out dead bodies." she casually explained.

After they had reluctantly relinquished their weapons (despite Drea's reassurances that they were perfectly safe), they felt rather naked, but nevertheless made their way to join the main company of travellers in the large common room. This was the source of the smoke and the smell. It was here that the sphere was hosted, and the it projected a clear image of the events in the stadium. The sound that emanated from it filled the entire room, and it was not particularly difficult to seek privacy, nor to have a private conversation without fear of being overheard. There were particularly shady characters in the common room, and Yuna had no doubt that they made a living by dishonest means. It was a fairly large company of people, mostly Al Bhed, but some Spirans were there also. They had earned several curious glares apon entry, but none were given again after Kimahri gave them looks of his own. A Ronso was not to be provoked, armed or disarmed. Yuna looked around the room eagerly, but Belgemine was nowhere in site. She looked nervously at Lulu, who was looking at Yuna expectantly.  
"She's not here." Yuna said to her under her breath.  
"Well, yes I can see that." came the quiet reply. "Maybe she isn't here yet? Or perhaps she simply had errands to run around Luca?"  
"Hm." said Yuna, doubtfully.  
"Let us sit and wait." Lulu said calmly.  
So they chose a quiet corner in the back of the room where they would not be bothered. Except for early, initial glances, they were not bothered by people as their attention was on the tournament. It was only when the announcement of Maester Mika's arrival at the docks, and footage of his disembarkment projected from the sphere that they began to receive curious, if not suspicious looks. Those weren't the only suspicious looks however, as it was soon apparent that Tidus and Wakka appeared to be giving each other knowing looks themselves. When called apon this by an ever perceptive Lulu, Wakka announced that Tidus and he were going to explore Luca whilst they waited. Yuna didn't object to this, and assured them that she would be safe with Kimahri and Lulu. The guardians eyes narrowed as she watched the two make a hastily retreat. "They're up to something." she stated.  
"hm?" Yuna said, absent-mindedly.  
"Yuna, are you sure we're safe here?" she said in a low voice, eyeing the room warily. "I mean, it is fairly apparent that this place receives questionable patronage."  
"Yes, I am aware this is a haven for criminals, but I am also aware that this is where Belgemine told us to go, and she assured me that we would be safe here. She would never place me in danger. I trust her." she said firmly. Lulu opened her mouth and closed it again, apparently without a reply to this. So she sat back, and continued to eye the room and its occupants like a hawk.

After a while, Drea came into the room to much cheers and applause. She was evidently a popular host and appeared to enjoy the attention. After much time spent chatting to her patrons and sharing a joke or two she made her way over.  
"Can I get you anything to drink?"  
Kimahri glared at her, but if she felt fear, she did not show it. If anything, it seemed to excite her.  
"Perhaps a little wine?" asked Yuna.  
"One wine." she said with a smile. "And for you?" she looked at Lulu. The look on her face said it all, and Drea gave a mock bow and left. When she had disappeared from sight, Lulu gave Yuna a reproachful look. "Wine? Given the nature of this place, do you think that is wise? To trust Belgemine that you will be safe here is one thing, but you don't have to risk yourself here needlessly." she hissed.  
"I don't think Drea really intends to poison her customers." said Yuna.  
"Quite right!" Drea said, startling them all. "Here is your wine, It's a Djose red, I hope it is to your liking." Once she was out of sight again, Lulu snatched the wine glass and brought it to her lips. After a moment of contemplation, she deemed it safe to drink, and reluctantly passed Yuna the glass, who accepted it guiltily. She sipped the wine slowly, and relished the sweet and succulent taste. Yuna avoided both her guardians eyes for a time, staring at her glass and sipping slowly. When she could avoid the gaze no longer, she cast a nervous look at Lulu who thankfully was not even looking at her, but was staring intently at the corner of the opposite side of the room. Kimahri thankfully never judged her, and he too was staring at the people of questionable nature in the common room. He did not portray any emotion and mostly sat and did nothing.

As time wore on, their attentions diverted to the sphere, for lack of anything better to do. Yuna was still adamant that Belgemine would show, and she tried not to let her doubt rule her thoughts. Lulu remained silent but Yuna could sense that she too was feeling somewhat doubtful. On the sphere they could see that the warm up matches prior to the first match of the opening tournament were taking place. These initial friendly matches were between recognised and unrecognised amateur teams. Numerous teams existed across Luca and Bevelle and these were identified by what part of the city they came from or what street. All of it was for simple, lighthearted fun whilst the main teams prepared to play. After what felt like hours, the opening ceremony began. This was an affair full of music and of fireworks, as well as an opening speech by Maester Mika, who was standing in the stadium box, overlooking the cheering crowd.  
"Today, on this glorious day, players from all over Spira have assembled here to participate in this great contest of bravery, skill, and strength. All of these fine teams, equally renowned, deserve to win the cup today. Such is the nature of this contest. Let us, the spectators, play our role accordingly: Let us sing to the glory of the winners, and applaud equally the valor of the defeated. Contestants, may Yevon be with you." he bowed to the roaring crowd. The screen then panned to the team captains of the six major teams of Spira: The Besaid Aurochs, The Kilika Beasts, The Luca Goers, The Guado Glories, The Ronso Fangs and the Al Bhed Sykes. What was most curious was Wakka, who was stood representing the Aurochs. This startling discovery shocked Yuna and she nearly choked on her wine. Even Lulu fell victim to surprise, and failed to hide it, her eyes widened as she viewed the screen. "What on earth is he thinking? He's supposed to be guarding you, not playing blitzball again!" she snarled.  
"Lulu, it's alright." Yuna reassured her. In fact seeing him there made her happy, in truth it was known to them that Wakka had lost his love for the sport since the death of Chappu, but since the arrival of Tidus he seemed to have found a surrogate brother, and his love for the game had bloomed again. "He's being reckless. He hasn't been training, he's completely out of shape. He's going to hurt himself." Lulu scoffed. Yuna opened her mouth to argue, but thought better of it. When Lulu's temper rose, it was best to not attempt an intervention.

Blitzball was Spira's primary form of entertainment. In fact, it may be a fair statement to say it was one of its only forms of entertainment. It was a sport played between two teams inside a sphere of water, with each team having six players. Of those six players, one was always guarding the goal, and there was one of these on each side of the sphere, two in total. Then, depending on game tactics and formation, it was up to those five to ensure that they got the ball into the opponents goal, whilst ensuring that it did not enter theirs. The most widely accepted formation was: two defenders charged with preventing the ball entering the goal, a midfielder to pass the ball to other members of the team, and two forwards who were responsible for getting the ball into the opponents goal. The sport could get quite rough, as players had permission to take possession of the ball by force, although they were not able to be aggressive to players who did not carry the ball. One round by official blitzball rules lasted for five minutes, and each match had two halves.

It was made apparent that by some stroke of fortune or luck, the Besaid Aurochs had been fast tracked to the finals. Due to the structure of the tournament match up's they would only need to win their first game to be in the finals, meaning a total of two games played in comparison to the other teams three. Perhaps this was done out of a sense of sympathy, as the Aurochs were notorious losers, and perhaps making them play less was a mercy. Their first game was against the Al Bhed Psyches. This was a cause for concern for Lulu, although she did not rightly show it, Yuna could tell by her hardened features and the frown on her face. Wakka hated the Al Bhed, and had never forgiven them for the decisions of his brother. The fact that Wakka was out of practice, and a hot headed man meant that it was more than possible that he may act recklessly. They both watched the sphere nervously as the teams entered the sphere. To Lulu's relief, Wakka seemed to be in good form. He swam well, and he appeared in good spirits. Another slight surprise (as they had both suspected his involvement) was Tidus's arrival into the sphere. He took a forward position, and was a replacement for Datto, who took to the bench.

When the buzzer signaled, the match began and there was a scramble for the ball. It was a brutal opening first game. The Aurochs were every bit determined to win, as were the Al Bhed. However, the Aurochs reputation was against them. Despite this, they were able to tie two to two into the second half. Wakka endured brutal attacks from the Al Bhed Psyches, as even in his current state he still posed the greatest threat. He suffered great injuries, but no foul was called despite cries of protest from the crowd. Finally, in one last great effort, during the last thirty seconds Wakka was able to muster one last all out offensive and to the surprise of all, score the final goal of the game, winning three to two. The Aurochs made it into the finals much to the delight of Spirans, and the despair of the Al Bhed. If there was one thing that could unite Spira it was their determination to not see the Al Bhed win the tournament. It took Yuna a great deal of self restraint to not burst into cheers of joy at their triumph, as she was more than aware she was not in the safest of environs, and it was very much Al Bhed dominated. Much of the patrons groaned and cussed in their native tongue. Luckily, Drea was on hand to refill their mugs with ale, and this helped settle them. With the Al Bhed out of the tournament, they seemed to warm to the two teams of the southern isles, although they were also fond of the Goers, due to the Al Bhed presence in Luca.

As the afternoon wore on, the matches continued. Yuna had lost track of how many mugs of wine she had, as Drea seemed to preemptively give her refills, with a wide smile and a knowing wink. She became more and more drowsy, and less aware of her surroundings. She occasionally received concerned, if not disapproving looks from Lulu, and Kimahri looked at her but portrayed no emotion. As matches progressed, she paid little attention. She was, however, able to discern that the Kilika Beasts beat the Guado Glories by three to one, and that the Ronso Fangs had suffered a narrow defeat by the Luca Goers, who had beat them two to one. This meant that the final game of the tournament was to be between the Besaid Aurochs and the Luca Goers.

Wakka had been seriously injured during the opening game, and according to sports correspondents on the sphere, he was still very much down and out. Datto, had returned to the teams lineup and Tidus would be acting captain. Yuna's heart skipped a beat when she saw Tidus on the sphere. The star player of the Zanarkand Abes, she mused. Both teams swam to the centre, and the Luca Goers appeared to taunt them openly. The Goers cared little that the Aurochs had made it into the finals, to them it was sheer luck. They tended to win all the tournaments, and they were always the favourites to win. Despite their arrogant attitude, the crowd cheer for them, although there were also cheers for the Aurochs, who seemed to have earned a small sum of support due to their splendid performance. Tidus attempted to shake hands with Bickson in a sportsman fashion, but had to instead dodge out of the way of an incoming swing. The Goers laughed as they took their positions. As the buzzer sounded, there was a roar from the crowd as the players swam across the sphere, dodging and weaving. The Aurochs were successful in maintaining possession of the ball throughout the majority of the first half, a long pass from Letty allowed Tidus to gain possession of the ball, and to the awe of the crowd, they witnessed a shot the likes of which had never before been seen in Luca. This brought the score to one nil to the Aurochs. Feeling it safe to now express her excitement, Yuna laughed joyously. Even Lulu, who was able to keep remarkably straight faced under most circumstances, was not able to conceal a smile. This brought the first half to a close, to thunderous applause. Yuna's smile was evidently infectious, as Lulu began to warm in demeanor, and even accepted a (small) mug of wine from Drea. The second half opened to great excitement. The Aurochs had played well. Not only that, they were the underdog and if there was anything all Spirans could relate to, it was being the underdog. The Goers had other plans, and were not so willing to bow out to entertain spectators. They played a brutal second half. Their forwards acted more as bullies at first, with Bickson managing to injure Datto when he gained possession of the ball. Whilst it was not enough to call foul, and the injury was not sufficient enough to be sent off for treatment, Datto was unable to maintain momentum. As far as everybody could see, he was out of the game. The second tragedy was the assault on Letty. The two Goer forwards just so happened to collide with letty as he had possession. For this, as it was a tackle from two players, rather than one, a foul was called. A free shot by Tidus was unfortunately not enough to secure another goal, as the Goers defended well. The crowd groaned in disappointment, as Tidus had already become somewhat of a minor celebrity due to his impressive shot. The Goers pressed their advantage and played tactically, with careful passing and maneuvering, they were able to get the ball through the Auroch's defence and equalize the score. This was a great blow to the morale of the islanders, as their morale had been high from a successful first half. As if to raise their spirits and show their support, the crowd began chanting. It wasn't a chant for the Aurochs; but for Wakka. Wakka, the injured hero from the opening game. Wakka, who was known to be retiring, back to give it his all, one last time. Spirans loved a motivational and inspirational story, and this was a great one. They chanted his name with all their hearts. Tidus smiled to himself, and drifted out of the sphere towards the exit to the locker rooms.  
"Everyone seems to be calling for Wakka, folks!" boomed Bobba, the spectator. "Say...Where is that player going? He's leaving the sphere pool! He may be injured!" he commented, as he noticed Tidus drifting away. The crowd could be heard chatting animatedly to one another, in speculation. Yuna was sad to see Tidus go, but she had a feeling he had gone to encourage Wakka to take to the field again. Her musings were interrupted and were proven to be correct. The crowd went wild as Wakka entered the sphere.  
"I wonder what's happening? The crowd is going wild! Ah! It's Wakka! He's back on the field and ready to go! The Aurochs seem glad to have him back." said Bobba.  
There was only two minutes of the game left, and it could have been the most intensive two minutes anybody had ever witnessed. Datto, inspired by Wakka's return, was able to get himself back into the game. Whilst he did not manage to shoot the ball, he was able to mark Abus, their second forward. By keeping Abus distracted, he was able to prevent him getting the ball, leaving the true struggle between Wakka and Bickson. As the Goers had possession of the ball, the tension was high. The Luca Goers were without a doubt, the most well trained and professional blitzball team in Spira. They had technique and they had tactics and they had teamwork. Their only flaws were their arrogance and their overconfidence. The Aurochs spread out, far from each other, allowing the Goers to press their advantage on assault. However, Bickson, who had long been able to deal with multiple defenders on his own in the past, did not request that he receive backup from his midfield or his defence. He swam with the ball towards the Auroch's goal. As he kicked the ball the crowd gasped with anticipation. The commentators were going wild, although nobody was listening to what they were saying. All eyes were on the ball, with baited breath. There was nobody in defence to block the ball, it was all up to Keepa. Yet then, both the crowd and the Goers had not seen what was hiding in plain sight. Jassu (who was arguably one of the faster Hume swimmers in blitzball) swam with haste from where he had been observing below, at the bottom of the sphere. He caught the ball and skillfully passed the ball to Letty who then made a long pass across the sphere to Wakka, who had swam underneath Bickson and flanked him.  
"A long passe from Letty! It goes through!" Bobba declared. Wakka swam with all his might towards the Goers defence. Their two defenders, Doram and Balgerda, were no match for him. He mustered all his strength to charge through them and with one incredibly kick, shot the ball towards the goal.  
"He shoots! Goooooal!" Bobba declared. The ball had gone through, with only two seconds left on the timer. The game had ended and the Aurochs had gone beyond what anybody had thought possible and won the tournament.  
"Unbelievable! The Aurochs win the match 2-1!" Bobba declared.

"We won!" Yuna gasped, amidst divided cheering and cussing in the common room. Lulu raised her eyebrows at the sphere and sipped her wine. Lulu relaxed somewhat after that, accepting more wine and drinking more readily. She even managed to stop staring about the room, as she had done for much of the duration of the day, especially to the back corner of the room. However, whenever Yuna looked over there, she thought she saw nothing. However, at closer inspection she felt like she could see a cloak, or at least the shape of a cloak, and with a hood. Then, as if her she had been hoodwinked the entire time, she finally saw it. A peculiar, weather-beaten woman sitting in the shadows in the far corner of the room. She had a large mug in front of her, yet she did not appear to have much interest in it. She sat with her legs stretched out before her, which revealed high leather boots which were covered in mud. The cloak, Yuna now noticed was worn and dark green in colour. The hood was drawn over the womans face which left it overshadowed. The more intently Yuna looked, the more prominent the womans eyes appeared, gleaming from the hood.  
"Drea, who is that?" Yuna asked, the next time she visited their table. "Her?" whispered Drea. She turned her back to the woman, and bent down next to Yuna's ear. "I'm not really sure. But we think she is one of those Rangers that the Crusaders go on about. They roam the wilds, protecting Lucas borders from afar, or so the rumours say. She doesn't say much, although she has been known to give an odd story every now and then. She's been in and out of here regularly this past week. I swear she can be in here regularly sometimes and then disappear for like a month, or even a year. It's odd. We don't even know her name, but we've taken to calling her Strider. We call her that due to how hastily she can move, how far she walks. I swear she's probably crossed all of Spira on foot before now." She bent up, and took her leave to cater to her other patrons.

Yuna found that Strider was looking at her, and Yuna could now see her clearer, as if now that Yuna had noticed her, she had decided to make herself somehow more apparent. She nodded at Yuna, and and beckoned her over with a wave of her hand. Reluctantly she got up and despite Lulu's protests, made her way to her. As Yuna reached the corner of the room, concealed in shadow, Strider pulled back her hood. She had dark, red hair and bright purple eyes. There was an age, a wisdom, and perhaps a cynicism in those eyes which did not match the youthful appearance of her face.  
"I am called Strider." she said in a low voice. "I am very pleased to meet you, Lady Yuna."  
Yuna stiffened. "How do you know my name?" she asked.  
"That is not relevant right now, I think what is relevant is that your companions seem to be getting a little rowdy. Good drink, warmth and a good cause for celebration is pleasant enough, but this isn't Besaid. Unless you are completely oblivious to your surroundings, which I was starting to fear you were, this establishment does not receive the most reputable of patrons. You have done well here thus far under the guise that you are a criminal posing as a summoner. I fear it would be very unwise for you to relinquish that advantage." She took her bright eyes off of Yuna and looked to the other side of the room, and she followed the gaze.

Yuna became aware of the fact that Tidus and Wakka had returned from the stadium and were in high spirits, and by the looks of things they were rather intoxicated by drink. Whilst as Strider had said, this would be harmless under normal circumstances, the fact that Wakka had no taste for the Al Bhed, and was also a proud believer in Yevon. Also, he was a guardian, and in the presence of the Al Bhed, who neither supported Yevon nor its tradition of summoners, the danger of him saying something troublesome was a distinct possibility. Already, he began to speak too loudly about their victory against the Al Bhed, which earned him several sour looks. These people in turn, began to mutter to each other under their breaths, whilst casting dark looks in his direction.

Yuna fidgeted, unsure of what to do. Wakka was evidently enjoying the attention and antagnosing the Al Bhed. Even Drea, who had remained remarkably impartial during the tournament, was giving him uncertain looks. Yuna had a fear that if she let it continue, he would mention that Yuna's true purpose, and that they were on their way to Zanarkand. This would not do at all, and Yuna began to panic.  
"You better do something quick!" whispered Strider in her ear.  
Yuna hurried across the room to Wakka and threw herself into his surprised arms. "You did it! I'm so happy, I can't believe we won!" she whispered.  
Wakka took surprise to this, but was pleased nonetheless.  
"Come now Wakka, lets go back to the table. We've been here all day, and these people aren't the friendliest, so I will be needing my guardians."  
This seemed to make Wakka see sense, as he nodded knowingly and passed his mug to Tidus, who wasn't a guardian. He grinned and drank from the mug readily. With a smile to Yuna, Wakka made his way to the table and sat with Lulu, who welcomed him with a reproachful look.  
"I saw the Jecht shot!" Yuna said, when she and Tidus were alone.  
"Heh. You did? The crowd seemed to like it." he said.  
"So did I, I couldn't contain my excitement. We couldn't really openly support the Aurochs in here when they were playing the Al Bhed." she laughed. Laughing together, they rejoined the table. When they sat down they found Wakka looking worn out. He never was one to take it easy. He had been injured to the extent he could no longer play, and then had mustered his strength to play again, and if that wasn't unwise enough, he was now fairly intoxicated. He groaned and rolled back. Lulu caught him in her arms, and she cradled him. " I saw you floating there, on the sphere." she said to him quietly.  
"Hey, you weren't supposed to see that."  
"You really gave it your all, didn't you?" she asked, softly.  
They sat mostly in quiet for a time. They were all tired from the events of the day, especially Wakka, who seemed in dire need of a comfortable bed. Yuna found herself fingering the ring which lay safely in her pouch. Whilst it made her feel guilty, and a little uneasy, it also provided an odd sense of comfort. It must have been late evening by now, although there had not been a real sense of time all day. They had arrived by around midday, and had remained ever since. Yuna's thoughts went back to Belgemine. How she had forgotten all about her, she did not know. Wine and entertainment had provided suitable distraction, but now worry returned, and an uncertainty of how long she would have to wait in such an uncomfortable environment. She had hoped that all they would have had to do was enter the inn and find Belgemine waiting for them, and then they would have been on their way perhaps that very day, or the next at the earliest. As anxious as she was, she decided she could not approach Drea and ask about her knowledge of Belgemine, it would reveal too much in such an untrustworthy place. Instead she felt it best to retire to her room, and perhaps they would learn more in the morning.


	7. Strider

The group had opted for a family room. It was spacious enough for five (even with a ronso for a companion). Yuna had decided on a family room to ensure their safety. Being divided would do them no good in such places. The room was warm, and cosy. There was no traditional fireplace, as Al Bhed favoured machina over the labour of wood collecting and setting up fires. Heat emitted from a machina device, much like in many other houses in Luca. After all, it was not forbidden, although there were many across Spira who would have considered it lazy and unnecessary. When they had all entered the room and the lights were on, and they had ensured the room was sufficiently warm, they noticed that Strider had come in with them, she was sat quite comfortably and calmly in a chair by the door.

Kimahri bore his teeth and claws, and glowered menacingly. Strider looked at him rather calmly and made no movement.  
"Hello, Strider. What do you want?" asked Yuna.  
"We did not have a chance to finish our conversation earlier, my Lady."  
"I wasn't aware we had more to discuss." she said, cautiously.  
"You have been lingering around the common room waiting for the wizard all day, but I fear you can no longer wait for Belgemine."  
"oh Yevon! You know Belgemine? But why didn't you say? Do you know where she is?" she felt relief, and trust for this stranger came a little easier for Yuna.  
"As I said, we did not finish our conversation. As for where she is, I will tell you - for a price."  
Yuna suddenly felt doubtful. She knew that the establishment was one for rogues no doubt. She did not have much money, and the Gil she had was to get her to Zanarkand. However, if this person was so untrustworthy, how then did she know Belgemine, who she had trusted and looked up to for so many years. Was Belgemine not who she thought she was? Her thoughts became overwhelmed with doubt.  
"I only have as many companions as there are people I can trust, and I must admit that I am having a hard time trusting you." she said.  
"Good!" exclaimed Strider. She sat back more comfortably. "Well I am glad you have good senses, Lady Summoner. More sense than two of your companions anyway. I was beginning to worry that the mage here was the only one with any." she said, looking at Lulu.  
"Please, tell me why you're here." Yuna said.  
"Very well, I shall tell you. I was looking for you. It came to my attention, that you were very keen to avoid attention on your departure from the Luca docks, as your attire and company suggests, you are obviously a summoner. A summoner who doesn't want to receive the love and support of the people she sets out to save? That is most unusual, so I followed. To my surprise you decided to go to the most unsuitable place for a summoner in Luca, I should advise you and your guardians to be more careful."  
"I still don't see why that interest would lead you to follow me and watch us all day miss Strider." Yuna said, feeling uncomfortable.  
Strider laughed. "Well the explanation is quite simple. I had been informed that you would be carrying out of Besaid, well, a secret which is of great concern for me and my friends."  
"Now do not mistake me!" she cried, as Yuna gasped and Kimahri stepped forward to defend her. "I shall take a great deal of care of that secret. And care is needed! As a summoner you will be vulnerable to attention, and given what you carry, I know you wish to avoid unnecessary encounters. You know you need to stay off the pilgrim road, but none of you have walked the wilderness. I have. I know all the lands from Luca to as far as Bevelle, for I have wandered them for many years, I am older than I look. As I said, you can not wait for the wizard any longer, Yuna. I can take you by paths that are seldom trodden, and with any luck you may have the unseen protection of my kin, will you have me?"  
"How do you know Belgemine, and why should we believe that you do?" interjected Lulu.  
"You are wise to have such caution, mage." said Strider with a grim smile.  
"On the subject of caution, you never did tell me how you know my name!" Yuna said.  
"Well, this is most welcome. I was worried you would not ask. I believe I can answer both your questions. I know-"

At that moment there came a knock at the door. Drea arrived with refreshments. Strider withdrew behind the door. When Drea had laid down the refreshments on the table she lingered, looking rather uncomfortable.  
"Look, here's how it is," she began, looking rather guilty. "I'm afraid I may have messed up big time. With the tournament and everything, I've been so busy and all. You see I owed a favour to an old acquaintance. I was told to look out for a summoner, and that she would have four companions. I wasn't supposed to ask her name, as she would be seeking privacy. But I was given a description. Fine, brown hair that rested above the shoulders, and curious eyes, one of blue and one of green."  
"And who said that?" Yuna interrupted, eagerly.  
"Well that would be Belgemine, that wizard woman. She roams Spira, so they say. But she did me a favour once, got me out of a really sticky jam. I imagine she'll kill me if I ever see her again, I've really messed this up!"  
"Well what have you done?" asked Yuna, desperate for answers.  
"A letter! I was supposed to send a letter to Besaid." she moaned. "A few days ago, she comes to me and says she needed a letter sending to Besaid, and that it was urgent. It was addressed plain enough too."

LADY SUMMONER YUNA, CORRAL HILL, BESAID VILLAGE in BESAID.

"A letter for me from Belgemine!" cried Yuna.  
"Ahh, then you are Yuna?" said Drea.  
"Yes, and I am sorry for deceiving you, but we did not know if you could be trusted. But please tell me why you didn't send this?"  
"I am really sorry, I respect Belgemine, and would do much for her, and I didn't hold it back on purpose! I had nobody willing to send it, and then people came and offered me a business proposition and I put it in a safe and forgot about it." she finished lamely.  
"But she said to me before she left that she had a friend who needed help, and she'd be a summoner from Besaid and that I was not to ask her any questions of her business. Unfortunately it's been rather difficult, I asked you if you were a con artist so that we could use that to stop my patrons becoming suspicious, but as the night drew on they began to talk. I've been trying all night to catch word of what they were saying. But then that Ranger woman, Strider has been asking me questions as well..."  
"She did!" said Strider suddenly, emerging from her hiding place. "You could have saved me a lot of trouble if you had simply answered them in the first place!"  
"You!" Drea said, looking taken aback. "How in Spira do you keep doing that? What do you want now?"  
"She is here with my permission, she has come to offer me her help."  
"oh, well. Who you trust is your business, but not even my sort trust the Rangers."  
"Then who would she accept help from?" challenged Strider. "A woman of questionable morality who profits from spying and deceit, who dabbles in the black market and uses her position as an inn keeper to gain information that can be used to her advantage? There is no honour in what you do, and whilst Belgemine must have her reasons, I can not see what she sees in you." snarled Strider.  
"Perhaps the letter that was intended for Yuna will contain some answers." suggested Lulu.  
Drea handed the letter to Yuna and gave her one last apologetic look and left the room. Yuna looked down at the letter in her hand and opened it eagerly.

Dear Yuna,

Bad news has reached me here. I must go off at once. You had better leave Besaid soon, by the end of Zimo at the latest. I will return as soon as I can; and I will follow you, If I find that you are gone. If you linger in Luca for the tournament, leave a message for me here. The landlady (Drea) can be trusted. You may meet a friend of mine there, some around Luca call her Strider. She knows our business and will help you. Make for Yocun. I hope we will meet there. If I do not come, Jyscal will advise you.

PS. Make sure it is the real Strider, her true name is Lucil.

Yuna read the letter to herself, then passed it round to her guardians. "Really Drea, this would have saved us a great deal of trouble if i'd received this letter when it was intended. But what has happened to Belgemine? She makes it sound like she was going into great danger."  
"She has been doing that for many years." said Strider.  
Yuna looked at her carefully for a moment. "Strider, could you tell me your real name?"  
"If it is the only way I can earn your full trust, which it is seemingly more apparent that that is the case, then I will certainly do so. My name is Lucil."  
"Well that confirms it, you're mentioned in Belgemine's letter. Why didn't you just tell us your name before?"  
"Well because I knew nothing of this letter! Belgemine does not reveal all her plans to everybody, this is how she has operated over the many years she has walked this land. All I knew was that I was to find a summoner and her guardians and escort them to Yocun, and for all I knew, I was supposed to earn your trust without proof. Fortunately I am who I say I am, I hope you no longer have any doubt in your mind. I am Lucil, and if by life or death I can save you, I will."

There was a silence after this. At last, Yuna spoke. "I believed somehow that I could trust you, even before this letter. Or at least I wanted to. You have an intimidating appearance, yet I think that If you weren't to be trusted, you would seem fairer and feel fouler, if you understand."  
"I see." laughed Strider. "I look foul and feel fair. Is that it?"  
Yuna smiled at her apologetically.  
"Well, with the permission and approval of everyone, we shall call this settled, shall we? I will be your guide. We will have a rough road tomorrow. Even if we are allowed to leave this place unhindered, which is increasingly unlikely, but if we can then I shall get us lost into the wild as soon as possible. There are other ways out of Luca if one does not wish to follow the Mihen highroad, I believe we can slip out unnoticed through the woods. From there we will divert and head for the ruins of Fydlrdufan."  
"Fydlrdufan?" said Wakka, piping up for the first time. "What's that? It sounds Al Bhed."  
"It may once have been, Wakka. It is an old ruin, atop a hill, south of the highroad. It commands a wide view all round, and there we shall have a chance to view our surroundings, and find the safest route. After Fydlrdufan I fear our journey may become more dangerous."  
"More dangerous? But there could be Al Bhed in these ruins!" insisted Wakka.  
"I assure you, although you may recognise the name as Al Bhed, what was once a watch tower before then never belonged to them. You may not be aware of this, but the Al Bhed language is a continuation of a dialect that was once spoken by many in Spira prior to the machina war. I assure you, not many either know of the ruins, nor care to attempt to plunder it."  
"When did you last see Belgemine? Do you know where she is, or what she is doing?" asked Yuna, eager to move the conversation on.  
"I do not know." Strider said, looking very grave. "I met her outside of Luca not too many days ago. I have watched the gateway to the southern isles more closely than I have been accustomed to over this past few years. We met a few days ago in here, and she told me that her business in Besaid had gone well, and that you would be expected to be leaving in the next few days, and that you would be headed for Yocun. I figured that she had the situation under control, and I left to go on a journey of my own with my kin. That proved to be a mistake, because whatever business Belgemine had to the east has seemingly gone wrong."  
"She said something about going to seek answers. Does that mean anything to you?" Yuna asked, growing concerned.  
Strider contemplated her words for a moment. "The exile, perhaps? Well, it would certainly answer my question of what her business was in the east. However the question of her delay is not answered. Belgemine is very proficient at traveling great distances by speed. It would not have taken her long to reach the exiles dwelling, nor would it have taken long for her to return."  
"Who is the exile?" Lulu asked, puzzled.  
"The exile is somebody of great wisdom, and also of great sorrow. He values privacy and also secrecy. He is one of the most learned scholars in Spira, it is no wonder Belgemine sought his council."

Suddenly they heard a commotion outside. Footsteps approached and the door burst open. Shinra entered the room and hastily shut the door. When he caught his breath he looked up and noticed everyone staring at him in alarm, and he spoke.  
"You better watch out, they're getting rowdy downstairs. A lot of them think you (he pointed at Yuna) are a real summoner, and they think with Spira in crisis, they can kidnap you and ransom you off to Bevelle."  
"This is what I feared. You were never meant to linger here for so long. Your cover story was sufficient to last a couple of hours at most, but your demeanor and your reluctance to join the rest in their foul conversation has obviously earned you more than a fair share of suspicion." said Strider.  
"What are we going to do?" said Yuna in alarm, looking at Shinra.  
"I'm just a kid." he shrugged. "Drea is downstairs trying to calm everyone down. She is having to increasingly find more, er, creative ways of keeping their attention."  
Tidus let out a low whistle, which earned him a disgusted look from Lulu.  
"We need to leave, as soon as possible." said Strider. "If you weren't all so exhausted and intoxicated I would suggest leaving now, although that would also be unwise, as they now no doubt watch all exits from this building with great attentiveness."

Again, they heard hurried steps approaching. And again the door burst open and hastily shut the door. Drea was stood they, and looking fairly undignified to say the least. Her manner of dress caused Yuna to blush and avert her gaze, whilst Lulu gasped in disgust. Tidus and Wakka did not know where to look, although they found it difficult not to stare. Strider looked at her in the eyes and seemed quite unabashed.  
"Well, what is it? I'm guessing your distraction isn't as successful as you had hoped?" asked Strider.  
"It was going well, but they are getting really suspicious, at first it was only a couple of them discussing it lightly, however most of them are now in agreement that Yuna would fetch a pretty price. There is a lot of Gil to be made here, and they keep pressuring me to get it on it." Drea explained.  
"And what is the promised price, a nice fat share of the pot?" Strider said, angrily.  
"I'm not going to hand Yuna over to anybody except Belgemine! And I'd like to tell you that I have a bit more honour than that thank you very much. Although for your information they're willing to offer me as much as 25%."  
"Well, how very noble of you to refuse. It would be noble if you're hands weren't tied and you made the decision to not sell us out by your own free will. However, a debt is a debt. Isn't it?" said Strider.  
"Yes...well." Drea pursed her lips. "I came to warn you all that they all just agreed that they're going to do it anyway, they will come for you and they think they have enough down there to kill your guardians, and sell you to the temple. It won't take them long to guess your room. I only have a few family sized rooms."  
"What are our options?" said Yuna, worried.  
"I can put you up in the attic. It's for storage, and we can remove the ladder once you are all up there. It would be quite safe. Right now, your options are limited. So its either fight or flight. Although I would rather you choose the latter. You would be doing me no favour by killing a large portion of my customers and business associates." pleaded Drea.  
"Your "associates" are cut throats and scoundrels." spat Strider. "Will you help us, or sell us out? Fayth help you if Belgemine comes here to find you sold us out for a pouch of Gil!"  
"Now listen here Ranger!" Drea said, raising a finger at her. "I said I wish to help Yuna and I will. It won't be easy to convince them to stay away, but I think I can manage it. Believe it or not, Luca is home to good Al Bhed, and none to far from here. I will call on them, we will keep watch tonight. We will do our best to draw them away from here, make it seem like you fled in haste. But you must go to the attic, and you have to be quiet, can you manage that?"  
"Yes, we can. Right everyone?" said Yuna, looking around at her guardians, who nodded.  
"I'd like to see some Al Bhed try and take Yuna!" Wakka said loudly.  
"Well, if its a fight you want, it is a fight you will get if you keep raising your voice so foolishly Wakka." said Strider.  
"It seems we must trust Drea in this. If Belgemine trusts you and our options are thin, it seems we are in the hands of you and your kin." said Lulu.

There was much to do, and little time. Shinra attended to their luggage and took it to the attic. When Shinra returned and declared all was clear, one by one they slipped silently out of their room and down the hall, where they ascended the ladder to the attic. There, makeshift beds had been set up for them. They were of limited comfort, and were merely blankets on a hard, wooden floor, with only a thin sheet separating them from the wood, but it was better than naught. When they were all finally safe and out of sight in the attic, Drea came to check on them one last time before turning off the light and descending the ladder, which she removed and put into storage for the night. Wakka's head hit the pillow with little hesitation, and soon his snores filled the attic. Tidus promptly followed, yet he was a little more dignified in how he took rest. Lulu studied Yuna a great deal before she finally slipped off. Like a mother, she watched Yuna with loving concern, even stroking her hair whilst Yuna lay in her bed with her eyes open, afraid to go to sleep. Kimahri and Strider were both too reluctant to rest, and it soon became apparent that both had made a non verbal agreement to stay up and keep watch. For how long Yuna stayed awake, she did not know, but she outlasted Lulu who's hair stroking soon ceased, and she slipped into sleep. Finally, Yuna's eyes began to strain, and she drifted off.

After what felt like only a few short moments, Yuna woke to the sound of whispers. She opened her eyes and found that a dim, morning light was apparent outside of the small window in the attic. She looked around and found all her guardians had been roused. When everyone was awake, Strider leapt down the attic hole and returned a short while later with the ladder, and when everyone had descended safely, she led them back to their room. They found it in a complete mess. Windows had been smashed, beds upturned, cupboards ripped open. Every potential hiding place seemed to have been scourged. Strider left to fetch Drea, who came in wearing luxurious red pajamas and and irritable look on her face, with large, dark bags under her eyes.  
"I've seen bar fights here plenty of times, but this was really something." she yawned. "They guessed which room you were in and smashed the door down, despite my locking it. When they found out you weren't here, they went into a fit of rage and turned on each other. Some took to the streets and looked for you, a few even went into the woods. But they never thought to look for you up in the attic at any rate."  
"You have our thanks, Drea." Yuna bowed.  
"I am sorry this has happened, If only I'd sent that letter." she said, sadly. "I mean bar fights I'm used to, but guests being unable to sleep in their beds? That's not good for business, not good at all."  
"Yes, dark times indeed." said Strider, with a hint of sarcasm. "Well, you have helped us and we are grateful. You will be rid of us shortly, we only require your help a little while longer. Never mind breakfast, just some drink and perhaps some food we can eat on the road, and we will be on our way."  
Drea nodded tiredly and left them, and returned shortly with some light food that they could eat on the go. After a quick breakfast on their feet, they were ready to depart.

It was before dawn when they stepped out of the agency, and the sky was illuminated by pale twilight. The streets were empty, and no sound came from the city. It was an eerie contrast to the atmosphere of the previous day. Drea and Shinra stepped out to bid them farewell.  
"Goodbye, sorry for the inconvenience!" said Drea.  
"It's alright," said Yuna. "It was really my fault to begin with. If I hadn't drawn so much attention to myself, then none of this would have happened."  
With one last sad smile and a wave, Yuna turned around and followed Strider and her guardians into the nearby woods and they set out into the wild.


	8. A journey through mushrooms

With Luca finally behind them, the company soon found themselves deep inside lush, green forests. It was without a doubt the most enjoyable part of Yuna's journey so far. She had nobody running up to her, smiling at her or praising her. There were no tears of joy, or tears of sorrow. There was silence. The only sound that could be heard was the singing of the birds, the rustling of the leaves on the trees and their footsteps on the ground.

As the sun rose, the scenery around them became vibrant and full of colour. Because nobody knew these paths except Strider, they all followed her lead. Not even Lulu or Wakka, who had both been on pilgrimages before, knew where they went. Both of them only had experience on the pilgrim road, which from Luca to Djose lead north along the Mihen high road and then east along the mushroom rock road. Strider's plan was to avoid these roads as much as possible, and then make their way onto the old high road. The road had been out of use for some centuries but provided a safe and covert route to travel.

It was no wonder that few people ever travelled through the forests at Luca's edge. The terrain soon became treacherous and difficult to manage. The ground became hilly and steep and Yuna found it difficult to travel with dignity in her garbs. A summoners attire was made to look dignified at all times. The pilgrim road was not one that was physically difficult to walk, as much of the road was laid out for ease of travel. But in the wilderness, nature was dominant. Yuna soon found herself with many scrapes and scratches across her robes, and she was beginning to emulate the appearance of somebody who lives in poverty, with nothing but their shabby clothing. On that first day in the woods they had gone from a relatively easy ground to travel, to a more wary one. The next day they made it out of the woods, and Strider indicated that they were now far from Luca's borders. The Mihen highroad lay miles to the east. From the woods, they continued their journey north and traversed the vast flat lands. It was a welcome change to both Yuna and Lulu, who both wore impractical clothing for cross country. Although if Lulu was irritated at the conditions at which they travelled, she did not show it.

On the third day, dry flat lands soon turned to soggy wetlands. It was in these soggy, muddy lands that they began to see mushrooms, which came in all kinds of colours. Predominantly, they were red, but there were also oranges, greens and blues, to name a few. The enthusiasm that Yuna had felt on that first day in the woods soon turned to doubt and misery. The lands were difficult to cross, and her boots were covered in mud, as was the hem of her robe. Still, she could not complain, as she looked clean in comparison to Tidus. In his struggle to cross mud with the supplies on his back, he toppled. In his desperation to keep the bag clean he had used his arms to shield his fall, now covered thoroughly in mud. The night they spent in the swamp was their most uncomfortable night so far. Mosquitoes were everywhere and the night was hot and the air was thick with humidity. The heat made them feel parched, and although they had ample supplies of water, they did not risk over drinking as the only alternative source of water was that of the swamp.

Thankfully, they were out of the swamp by shortly past noon the next day. The ground became dry again, and a cooler air could be felt, and the party rejoiced. Mushrooms were still common along their path, and it was Strider who informed them that the reason why the road to the north east was named after mushrooms was due to them being so prevalent in the surrounding landscape. Ruins of cities of old also became widespread, and although Yuna was accustomed to seeing old machina ruins on Besaid, they were still awe inspiring sights. Many tall pillars towered out of the landscape, many of which appeared worn and rusted. The rest of the party appeared indifferent at the sight, as they were common across Spira. Only Tidus appeared saddened by what surrounded them. Fortunately, despite the eerie feeling of walking through a graveyard, the road became easy from then on. They continued their course north for the next two days. On the seventh, they made their way east.

On their turn east, they encountered harsh, rocky dry lands. Rest in those parts was not comfortable, and sleep came to them seldom that night. It was in the harsh rockies that they encountered their first real possibility of running out of water. The dry, sandy air was harsh and it stuck in the back of their throats, making them sore and parched. If it weren't for Strider, they may well have succumbed to dehydration. However, their salvation did not come easily, or entirely willingly. Strider was a seasoned hunter, and was able to hunt wild predators that stalked the rocks. When she returned to their camp at the foot of a large rock, with a beast slung over her shoulder she received frowns and looks of confusion. They already had food, it was water they needed. When Strider took out a hunting knife and slit an artery of the beast and cupped the blood into her hands and drank, her intentions became very clear.  
"We're supposed to drink that?" asked Tidus, horrified.  
"I assure you, It is quite safe." she said.  
Very reluctantly, the others drank from the arteries of the beast, until much of the blood was drained. Blood was not a common thing to drink, and it had been done as a last resort. However, the Rangers of years past had done it on many occasions, when they went deep into the wild where water was scarce. The blood left them feeling bloated, and nauseous.  
"Berries and herbs I can forage. Beasts I can hunt. But conjure fresh water, I cannot." Strider said, when they appeared wary and discontented.

Little else happened on their journey east. The next day, Kimahri set off on his own scouting mission carrying only his great halberd and their empty drinking canteens slung around his neck. They heard and saw nothing of him for the rest of that day. The following morning, he had tracked their trail and returned to them with their canteens filled with water. With fresh water to drink and food supplies withstanding the long road, they walked on with their hearts feeling lighter. Even the landscape appeared lighter. Old ruins became scarce, and the grass became greener and dryer, and soon all in front of them were great, green plains. Great long grass was before them, and they trudged on through. It was a wonder to Yuna just how diverse a landscape Spira had, or at least the small part that she had experienced. She had perhaps naively assumed that it was all of a tropical climate, like her beloved Besaid was.

After nine days in the wild, they began to make their way south. They continued their course through the plains until their eyes looked apon the mushroom rock road, far in the distance. They reached it by sun down. Under the growing darkness of the descending red sun, they crossed the road swiftly. Not far from them they could see an Al Bhed travel agency. Under more comfortable circumstances, they would gladly have stayed there. Unfortunately, due to the persistence of the Al Bhed, they were cautious about who and where they could trust. The next part of the journey was difficult, as they had to descend the cliffs in darkness. The rocks were sharp and dug deep into their fingers and palms. Yuna, who had never had to endure such hard labour, found her gentle skin tore and bled easily. Vertigo haunted her, yet she remained determined. Kimahri refused to risk allowing her to descend herself, so she wrapped herself around his back, and he made his way to the bottom. Strider, who had climbed down the cliff swiftly, looked up at their progress anxiously. Kimahri, who's kin were mountain dwellers would at ease on the cliffs and made it down safely. They found themselves settled in a gorge bellow the highroad. the outlines of an old road could be made out, although it had fallen victim to time, and much was overgrown and taken captive by vines and other such forces of nature. Whilst it was not quite night time, the cliffs overshadowed them and they were covered in darkness. Feeling it irresponsible to attempt to make it any further, they decided to set up camp right there that night.

The next morning they made their way quietly along the road. They were dangerously near people now, and on occasion they could hear travellers somewhere above them, about their business. Whilst being spotted was harmless, the thought of being spotted by Al Bhed was not. The road, overgrown with green, took them east for many miles. It was eerily quiet.  
"I wonder why this road was abandoned." Yuna mused.  
"It was destroyed by Sin, eight centuries ago." said Strider. "This old road has always been in close proximity to the sea. You see those walls?" Strider indicated to their right. "They are no creation of nature. They were constructed in the hope that they may be an adequate defence from Sin. Of course it was folly, but knowledge of Sin even after two hundred years was still very little."  
"So the road above us was built afterwards?" asked Wakka.  
"Indeed. Many would tell you the high road is the one which the fallen King Mi'ihen walked on his return to Bevelle, but it is not. It was this road which he walked in solitute, awaiting judgement from people who used to be his subjects..."  
"Who was this King Mi'ihen guy anyway?" Tidus asked from behind them.  
"The last King of Bevelle. When Yevons teachings came to Bevelle, he accepted them willingly. However, as peoples faith in the teachings grew, so too did the power of the clergy. The clergy began to demand higher positions and more authority in government. Eventually dissent grew and fear of rebellion was rife. Mi'ihen announced that Bevelle was to be a constitutional Monarchy, and the ministers would hold the power. This appeased people for a while but for Mi'ihen, he found his new Kingship, which involved no real responsibility to be inadequate, so he exiled himself and travelled across Spira." explained Lulu.  
"It was sometime in those years of exile that he travelled to the Djose continent and founded the Crimson Blades. His reputation grew, and people flocked to join the ranks of the King. Bevelle feared that Mi'ihen had left to rally an army to retake power, and summoned him back to them for judgement. And so it was that he walked, alone, along this road to face the ones who once called him King." finished Strider.  
"Ahh." said Tidus. "Sounds like a pretty brave guy."  
"He was a great man," said Strider. "And he won the trust of Bevelle. They accepted the Crimson Blades with open arms, and renamed them the Crusaders. For six centuries they fought in Yevons name, and defended all the faithful in Spira."  
"What about the last two hundred years?"  
"They began to cooperate more with the Al Bhed, and help them when they were in need. The Crusaders claimed that it was their duty to protect all people of Spira, not just the followers of the teachings. Bevelle didn't agree it, and demanded that they stop allying themselves with the Al Bhed. The Crusaders refused, and broke off from Bevelle and settled here on the Djose coast, forming the Crusader Kingdoms." said Strider.  
"They should never have gone against the teachings!" said Wakka, heatedly.  
"And you don't think the Al Bhed deserve protection?" Strider raised her eyebrows.  
"They use forbidden machina! Yevon teaches us that it is through complete atonement that Sin will be exorcised. How can we do that when they use their machina?" Wakka cried.  
"I would not take everything Yevon say at face value, Wakka. You may be surprised what you uncover if you delve into their true nature." retorted Strider.  
Wakka had no answer to this and simply resigned himself to casting her dirty looks every now and then.

They continued along the old road for many hours until they approached a large gate which appeared to be heavily guarded by Crusaders. The gate appeared to be the point where the old road and the new road met. Convoys of carts and heavily armed Crusaders could be seen passing through the gate. As they approached the gate they realized the convoy about to go through was led by Luzzu and Gatta.  
"Gatta and Luzzu reporting, sir!" declared Gatta.  
"This is the last of them." Luzzu informed the guard.  
The guard nodded and motioned for them to go on through. The gates opened and the convoy moved on. The wagon moved slowly and terrible screeching noises came from within.  
"What was that?" Tidus asked.  
"I don't know." replied Yuna, biting her lip. "Strider? What are the Crusaders up to?"  
"I am afraid I am not at liberty to tell you."  
"Some of those Crusaders that went in there, they looked a lot like Al Bhed!" puffed Wakka.  
"That is because they were Al Bhed, I have already told you that the Crusaders and the Al Bhed are cooperating with each other." said Strider cooly.  
"But this goes against Yevon, the teachings!" Wakka said loudly.  
"And you believe that because your bigoted temples tell us to treat them cruelly because they do not believe in what Yevon believes, we should do so?"  
"They have no respect for the past, the teachings tell us that Sin came from our misuse of machina."  
Strider sighed. "Oh, dear Wakka. You believe the answer is to discriminate against them, hunt them, abuse them, kill them? You will not find your solutions in prejudice, only in truth."  
"And that truth is the teachings, ya?" said Wakka, stubbornly.  
"I see I will have better results smashing my head against a wall than having a debate with you, Wakka." laughed Strider. "Come, like it or not, this is our road. You will have to deal with your prejudices or face being left behind."  
They made their way towards the gate and the guard approached them.  
"Halt!" he demanded. "All conveys are accounted for, this is now a restricted area. Civilians will have to wait until the operation is over."  
"At ease, gate Captain. I am Lucil of the rangers. I am escorting the Lady Yuna and her guardians to Yocun." said Strider.  
The guard Captain eyed the group in surprise. "A summoner? Here? Has Yevon approved this mission after all?"  
"I am afraid not, Yuna is here by her own free will. I cannot state her business to you, only that it is a matter of great urgency."  
"I see, I see." said the Captain, intrigued. "Very well, I will allow you access, but you're the last to go in."  
"Thank you, Captain. You have our gratitude." Yuna bowed.  
"So any news that you are at liberty to speak of, Captain? I have been away for quite some time." inquired Strider.  
"Indeed, you have. From what I hear the rangers have had their work cut out for them lately, spread thin across Spira. I can only tell you that there is a rumour that Yocun is to host some council meeting of people from all over. Even Bevelle will be attending, which is surprising considering the poor relations of late. Did you know they recently hinted that they may send us a formal declaration of war?" said the Captain.  
"Indeed? Well then I must make haste to Yocun, I fear Spira may be about to be in grave danger."

The party moved beyond the gate and found themselves on a road on the cliff side overlooking the Djose coast. The ocean sparkled from the suns rays and it was beautiful to behold. However, it's beauty was contradicted by many ancient machina canons which pointed towards the ocean. Their purpose needed little explanation.  
"What in Yevon's name is this? Machina! No wonder Sin keeps attacking the Djose coast!" Wakka declared heatedly.  
"Sin attacks places that have the most machina?" Tidus asked.  
"Yeah!" replied Wakka, nodding his head vigorously.  
"Then why does Sin attack places without machina? Like Kilika?" asked Tidus.  
"'Cause they used machina on the ship! And Sin took it out on Kilika!"  
"And do you have proof of that, Wakka?" asked Strider.  
"It's obvious!" Wakka exploded. "If you don't follow the teachings, and you use lots of machina and Sin is attracted to machina then you're gonna get attacked by Sin! Not only that, but Sin may take it out on the rest of Spira!"  
"But you do not know that for certain." said Strider.  
"It's obvious!" Wakka cried incredulously.  
"Strider?" Yuna asked timidly. "Do you think that Bevelle will really declare war on the Crusaders?"  
"Hm." Strider mused. "It is possibly merely politics. The temples approval rating has taken hits lately. Summoners are seldom seen on pilgrimage now, the Crusaders continue to defy Yevon, so Bevelle needs to shock people with dramatic examples. They know that a loss of much blood here will leave the Djose region at risk of attack from Sin and its spawn, so to engage in a war now would be folly. They no doubt hope that the Crusaders will yield to their will and rejoin Yevon."  
"Why do the Crusaders have to do this, eh? Do they not know that if Spira is divided then we'll be helpless against Sin?" Wakka asked.  
"They do know that." agreed Strider. "Which is precisely why the Crusaders seek to unify Spira, all Spirans, both Yevon and Al Bhed.  
"And you really think its going to help with the machina?" Wakka said.  
"Why are you so determined to judge them without knowing them? Why do you hate them? I have never encountered a Yevonite who loathed them as much as you have displayed." asked Strider.  
"I don't hate them as a people, just what they do. The machina! All you have to do is look around at all the old ruins to know where machina gets you, yet they still do it, ya? It's like they can't even learn, they refuse to learn."  
"Perhaps they are the ones who are learning, and it is Yevon that is stuck in the past?" Strider suggested.  
"Yevon guides us, Yevon seeks to protect Spira from making the same mistakes that lead to its ruin. Wars were fought with machina, fought over it. Now look, Spira could have its first war in over a thousand years because the Crusaders decide to killing machines from the past!"  
"And isn't it interesting that it is Yevon who are the aggressors?" Strider asked quietly.  
"They have their reasons! They just want the Crusaders to see sense, that's all!" Wakka insisted. "Why are you both so quiet anyway?" Wakka snapped, turning on Yuna and Lulu.  
"Hm. I can only speculate about all of this. Without proof that is all we can do." replied Lulu.  
"Hmph, Yuna?" Wakka asked.  
"I...I don't know. We can't possibly know what Bevelle is thinking, nor will I judge the Crusaders for wanting to work with the Al Bhed. I think I'd rather just focus on my task. All of these arguments are about Sin, so if we can get rid of Sin, then all of this fighting will stop, and everyone will be happy."  
"Wise words, Lady Yuna. I only hope it is that simple." smiled Strider.

They continued along the road. Yuna looked around her in awe. The cliffs were a stunning site to behold. They walked high above the coastline and although she did not dare stray to close to the edge, she imagined she would see jagged rocks and a perilous drop. Above her the cliffs continued, in beautiful colours of the ocean. Some of the rocks were of green and turquoise, and others of shades of deep red. In fact, to Yuna the terrain that surrounded them looked like a gigantic coral reef. It reminded her of the temple at Kilika, and her mind wandered to the the tragedy she had witnessed, and the dead that had lain there. Looking ahead at their road Yuna saw that the ground was filled with moss, and the familiar mushrooms they had seen on the old road.

The road was filled with Crusaders. Many seemed restless, stressed, excited and energetic. Others, who appeared more fresh faced looked anxious and scared. All appeared to be busy with preparations, preparations for what still remained a mystery. Amid all the chaos stood a young woman. She wore a green robe with white sleeves with gold lining with matching headdress. She looked young, and could easily have been Yuna's age. She had an innocent look about her, and her face appeared flustered and her eyes desperate. She stopped anybody who would listen and appeared to be pleading. She did not look poor enough to be a beggar, and she most certainly looked like she was from one of the temples. When she ran out in front of a couple of chocobo knights in an attempt to stop them and got knocked down, Yuna went to her. As she approached she saw that a Crusader had stopped in haste to help her up. When he attempted to leave quickly held her arms out in protest.  
"Please you must stop this!" she cried.  
"Do you see what you're doing? You're just getting yourself hurt. You're in the way! We'll defeat Sin anyway we can!" the Crusader yelled.  
"But Yevon's teachings say..." she pleaded.  
"Enough!" the Crusader interrupted, and stormed off.  
"I-I only meant to..." she begged, desperately. When he walked off with out another word she dropped her arms and hung her head sadly. When she was alone, Yuna approached her.  
"Are you all right?" she asked, kindly.  
The young woman's mouth opened and her eyes widened slightly when she took in Yuna's appearance. Her eyes then wandered to her companions, all five of them.  
"Lady Summoner...?" she asked.  
"Yes, I am Yuna."  
The woman gasped and bowed hastily. "It is an honor, my lady. My name is Shelinda. I am a disciple of Yevon."  
"What was all that about? Sayin' they'll defeat Sin anyway they can. What are they planning?" Wakka asked.  
"You mean the one Gatta and Luzzu were talking about?" Tidus inquired.  
"Mm." Wakka nodded.  
"I heard they were to use forbidden machina! I had to stop them." Shelinda said frantically.  
"Huh? Why?" Tidus frowned.  
"The use of machina is strictly forbidden by the Yevon priesthood." Lulu said impatiently.  
"That's bad, ya?" Wakka said, looking pointedly at Strider.  
"Let them use whatever they want." she said.  
"But the teachings of Yevon must be upheld!" Shelinda cried.  
"Yeah! Right!" Wakka nodded enthusiastically, glad to finally have a vocal ally.  
"But you don't understand! The Crusaders won't even listen to me. And it's all because I'm just a lowly acolyte." Shelinda said, sadly.  
"Don't say that." Yuna insisted.  
Shelinda merely stared at her with a surprised look on her face.  
"Well, I haven't been a summoner for very long myself, you see. Still, I can't put myself down every time I fail. People are depending on me. They're depending on both of us!" Yuna pressed.  
"Yes! Yes, you're right, my lady. Absolutely right!" Shelinda said joyfully. "Thank you so much, Lady Yuna! Now I feel I have the courage to finish my training. I will do my best to get myself appointed to a temple, as a nun."  
"Are you travelling towards Yocun?" Yuna asked.  
"I think I will. I am going where I think people will listen to me. I have heard a rumour that there is to be a meeting of significance at Yocun in the next few days. Yocun appears to be at the heart of this Crusader issue, perhaps they will listen to somebody who is willing to hear their concerns. I could present my findings to Bevelle!" Shelinda said.  
"Well, we are headed towards Yocun ourselves, perhaps you would like to accompany us for now?" Yuna suggested.  
"That is most gracious of you, my Lady. I would be honoured to accompany you." Shelinda bowed, flustered.  
"Our first stop will be the command centre." Strider instructed. "It is still quite a hike up the cliffs, if we are lucky we should be able to find room on a cart."

They had not walked much farther when a group of chocobo riders met them on the road.  
"Excuse me, Lady Summoner Yuna?" One of the riders inquired.  
"Yes!" she replied.  
"Word of your arrival was sent ahead, they are waiting for you at the command centre, my Lady. We have been instructed to talk you there now."  
"Very well, everyone?" She said, looking at her companions. Tidus appeared to be eyeing the birds with great apprehension.  
"Chocobos? Those are chocobos?" He gasped.  
"What? You've never seen a chocobo? What kind of backwater island did you come from, anyway?" said one of the riders incredulously.  
Tidus merely laughed nervously before backing away slightly.  
"They are quite harmless when treated with care." said Lulu, amused.  
When everyone nodded their approval, they all settled themselves on their chocobos, sat behind their riders, and were lead swiftly along the road.

Yuna clung to the officer in charge as they raced down the road. Many of the Crusaders on foot rushed to the sides of the road to make way for the riders. She found the journey absolutely exhilarating. The wind swept her hair, the terrain and the faces she past blurred behind her, and her heart beat rapidly. She was rather enjoying herself and her heart was filled with excitement. She looked over at Tidus who was laughing with joy, all signs of apprehension erased. When he caught her looking at him, Yuna grinned nervously.

They continued on until they reached a large machina elevator. The road which continued on ahead of them lead down to the beach, where a large unknown number of Crusaders could be seen positioned on the shore.  
"This is where we must part ways, summoner and guardians. We are taking position on the beach. You can take this elevator up to the command centre." the commanding officer said.  
"Thank you." Yuna bowed. When everyone was safely on the ground, the riders moved out and continued down to the beachfront.

At the foot of the elevator they saw Luzzu and Gatta involved in what appeared to be a heated discussion.  
"Why only you, sir? I want to fight, too!" Gatta protested.  
"Order are orders." Luzzu replied firmly.  
"I'm not a cadet anymore, sir! Let me go with you, and I'll prove it to them!" Gatta pleaded.  
"Guarding the command center is important too, you know." Luzzu encouraged.  
"But I came all the way from Besaid to fight Sin, sir!" he cried.  
"I know, but an order's an order. To your post, Crusader." Luzzu ordered with finality.  
"But, sir!" Gatta cried, exasperating. When he met Luzzu's determined eyes he growled and stormed off down to towards the beach. When he saw the party approach he sighed guiltily.  
"They let you through, huh?" he asked.  
"Mm." Tidus said. "Gatta deserves better..." Tidus began.  
"At least there's no chance he'll get hurt. Why are you guys fighting, anyway? Aren't the almighty Al Bhed machina enough?" Wakka asked, spitefully.  
"They still need some time to get them ready. Our job is to keep Sin at bay till they're done." Luzzu explained.  
Wakka stood there looking at Luzzu like he was about to explode with frustration. Apparently unable to speak from rage, he simply stood there flailing his arms at Luzzu.  
"Wakka... "I might not get another chance to say this. It's about your brother." Luzzu began.  
"Luzzu, no!" Lulu cried.  
"What?" Wakka said, looking at the both of them with a look of concern whilst Tidus merely stared in shock, who had never seen Lulu so vulnerable.  
"I'm the one who convinced him...to enlist." Luzzu said gravely.  
When he met Wakka's eyes he lowered his gaze in shame. Wakka at first appeared expressionless, and everybody appeared uncertain as to how he would react. He stepped slowly towards Luzzu, and suddenly his face contorted with rage and struck Luzzu in the face, who fell to the ground. Yuna gasped in horror whilst Tidus moved swiftly to restrain him.  
"Wakka! That's enough, Wakka!" he cried, struggling to hold him back.  
Wakka struggled to speak through Tidus's best efforts at restraint. "When we used to play blitz together, Chappu used to say...He'd say that-when we won the Cup, ya?-he'd propose to Lulu. And then one day...he goes off and becomes a Crusader. Just like that."  
Lulu appeared to struggle with her emotions, covering her mouth and unsure where to look. Luzzu gasped on the ground and felt the blood that trickled from his busted lip.  
"Chappu also said to me... That being with your girl is good...But keeping Sin far away from her is better." he gasped, but looking Wakka in the eye with determination.  
Wakka's face softened and he turned to Lulu. "Lu, you knew?"  
Lulu sighed, her eyes appeared red. "Luzzu told me...before we left."  
"She hit me too." Luzzu chuckled darkly.  
Suddenly a horn sounded from the direction of the beach.  
"That's my cue." Luzzu said, making ready to leave.  
"Luzzu! Don't die out there." Wakka called after him.  
"So you can hit me more?" Luzzu said, turning around.  
"Lots! Lots more!" Wakka grinned.  
Luzzu smiled, and was turning to leave when Yuna rushed in front of him to block his path with her arms outstretched.  
"Sir Luzzu, please! Please, don't go!" she begged.  
"I have to, Yuna." he said, firmly.  
"Let him go. The man has already chosen his path...As you did when you became a summoner." Strider said.  
Yuna looked reluctant for a moment, before finally standing aside.

They all stepped onto the elevator quietly. As they ascended the cliffs nobody spoke. Yuna looked at the floor sadly whilst Lulu seemed determined to not make eye contact with anybody. Wakka on the other hand was constantly muttering to himself and Tidus who was stood closest was able to make out such words as "stupid" and "gonna kill him" amongst the chaotic and mostly incomprehensible tangent. Strider on the other hand appeared quite calm and had distanced herself from the drama that had unraveled before her eyes. Tidus also felt awful, considering he did not know Chappu, the man was already a person of significance to Tidus, as it was his sword that he carried, as well as apparently physical similarities. He was now beginning to understand why it was so difficult for Lulu to travel with him, and he felt sorry for her.

They reached the summit and stepped off the elevator. Before them lay the peak of the cliffs. An old watch tower ahead of them, which was obviously the command centre. Immediately before them were countless canons all lined up and aimed at the ocean. Wakka growled his disapproval and stepped approached one of them. At first it appeared as though he was merely inspecting it with curiosity, but suddenly he gave the canon a strong kick and howled in agony as his foot collided with the hard metal.  
"OW! Curse these things!" he groaned as he hobbled around.  
"He really hates them, huh?" Tidus said, worried.  
"Chappu...He left the sword Wakka gave him in Besaid. And he fought with an Al Bhed machina weapon instead." she sighed sadly, giving the sword that Tidus carried a swift glance.  
"That's got nothing to do with it! I just hate these sacrilegious contraptions!" Wakka called at them. "And what on earth are you doin'? You're a Crusader and you're actually gonna use that thing?" Wakka said to the Crusader inspecting the canon.  
"The cannon got out of place when we fired a test shot. Packed too much powder, I guess. I have to set her in place before the operation." the Crusader replied.  
Wakka appeared annoyed at the Crusaders response but said no more.  
"Will these canons actually hurt Sin?" Tidus asked.  
"Once Sin emerges from the sea, we'll commence firing. Our shots should stun it long enough for the Al Bhed machina to finish it off. We just fired a test shot, and this puppy roars! It near knocked me out. Heck, it probably echoed as far as Luca! Sin's gonna be a huge target. We probably won't even have to aim." said another Crusader, grinning.  
"Grrr... It won't work anyway." Wakka said stubbornly.  
"Don't say that." Yuna frowned. "It might be a hopeless campaign, and it might mean defying Yevon...But the Crusaders and the Al Bhed - they're doing their best to defeat Sin. They want to rid Spira of Sin forever. And that's just what we want, too, isn't it?"  
"Hmph! All right, all right! But I still think machina are bad news. They're forbidden for a reason!" Wakka said, folding his arms.

They made their way towards the command centre. Along they way plenty of Crusaders could be seen practicing, many of whom were children who were apparently too young to join the fighting on the beach. Along their way they saw a young man and a child sparring with each other.  
"Come on! Swing like a man! Do you wanna avenge your sister or don't you?" he shouted at the kid.  
"I'm gonna beat Sin! I'm gonna beat it! I'm gonna beat it no matter what!" the kid said with determination, as he struck aggressively with all the strength he could muster. The young boy appeared to be no older than ten years old.  
"Okay, come on now! Pretend I'm a fiend!" The young man encouraged.  
"Die, die, die!" The child cried.  
When they were out of earshot Yuna spoke. "I hope they won't be allowing children to fight..." she said, biting her lip.  
"Does that really happen?" Tidus asked incredulously, looking back at the child.  
"Sometimes." Wakka said sadly. "We fight to protect our kids, but you can never know when fiends will attack, ya? In some parts of Spira, if you are strong enough to pick up a weapon, you pick one up. Not everyone is lucky enough to come from a city like Bevelle or Luca."  
"Luca didn't seem really that big to me, are you telling me Spira has only two cities?" Tidus asked.  
"Luca is the second largest city in Spira." said Yuna.  
"I thought every town was little. You know, like Besaid and Kilika."  
"Towns don't usually get bigger than that. Because when a lot of people start to gather..." said Yuna.  
"Sin...?" asked Tidus, glumly.  
"Mm." said Yuna, sadly.  
"What about Luca? Wasn't it safe there?"  
"It's not any different, but the stadium is there. The Crusaders fight to protect it with all their strength." Lulu said.  
"They protect the stadium?" Tidus said, his jaw dropping.  
"Blitzball's really the only entertainment that we have, ya? Spira's a little short on fun these days." Wakka explained.  
"Whoa! Talk about pressure!" Tidus whistled.  
"That's right!" Yuna laughed. She hesitating for a moment, looking at Tidus. "Is Zanarkand like this, too?" she asked apprehensively, aware of Lulu and Wakka's reactions. Tidus appeared embarrassed and rubbed his neck absentmindedly. He looked at Wakka who appeared to be eyeing him with both slight amusement and concern, and Lulu who betrayed no emotion, but pierced him with her eyes.  
"Hmmmm. Well, there are more buildings. All tall ones and cramped together." he mused.  
"Oooooh! They must be so tall! Don't you ever get dizzy?" Yuna said excitedly.  
Tidus laughed. "Nah, not really! Let's go, shall we?"


	9. Operation: Mi'ihen

They arrived at the gate of the command centre. An old ruined tower stood before them. Time had been cruel to it, yet still it stood, a monument to the engineering prowess of ages past. During it's time it may well have served a similar purpose, possibly to watch the shore for invaders. Who the original owners of the tower were was unknown, lost to the inevitability of time. Judging from the ruins, it was difficult to imagine what it would have looked like in its day. It had the appearance of a tower which had collapsed. All that remained were the foundations and some towering metal girders - possible proof of the height it may once have once reached. The rubble provided cover with the opportunity to observe all the beachfront, making for an excellent vantage point to make tactical decisions. Many coloured banners decorated the rubble. Their purpose was to identify all the Crusader branches from across Spira, as well as other more ancient banners used to bring good fortune before battle, such as the banner of Yocun and Mi'ihen.

At the gate they were greeted by a familiar face with a miserable attitude.  
"The operation will begin shortly. Please check all your equipment." Gatta said glumly.  
"Um, you all right?" Wakka asked.  
"Of course not! I came here to fight Sin! But they stick me here!" Gatta cried in frustration.  
"If you want to prove yourself then first you must complete the tasks you are given." said Strider.  
Gatta nodded miserably and let them through. "Just doing what they say? It just won't be enough." he muttered to himself.  
"Yeah, you should be out on the front lines." Tidus said to him, when the others were out of earshot.  
"That's right! It's not fair!" Gatta said. "I'll do something...even if it means bending the rules."  
Tidus gave him the thumbs up and slapped him on the back before catching up with the others.  
Within the ruins, a base had been established. There were numerous tents within the walls, sheltered by the rubble. Vantage points had been established where the structures were safest and provided the best view of the beach. A guard ran up to them as they entered the ruins.  
"Lady Summoner and guardians, you are to be guests at the command tent, you are expected. This way please."  
They followed the guard to the largest tent in the centre of the ruins. It was lavishly decorated with numerous banners and flags. They stepped inside to find a group of Crusaders sat around a table with a map pouring over it. At the head of the table sat a bald man with soft features, but if anybody were to assume his features were a window to his personality then they would be mistaken. For all his soft, round features his eyes had a fire to them, a fierce determination. The man looked hardened by life. Standing over the Crusaders stood a man. He had charcoal hair and glasses with a prominent scar on the right side of his face, across his eye. The man appeared rugged, and it gave him the appearance of somebody much older than he was. His clothing was also shabby, and he may have easily have been dismissed as a vagrant were it not for the fact that his clothing had the appearance of somebody that had once held a position of high esteem. When the party entered the tent the bald man stood up and beckoned them forward.  
"So this is the summoner I have been hearing about!" he boomed.  
When they stepped forward Yuna gasped as she looked at his face closer. "Maester Kinnoc?" she gasped, hastily bowing.  
"No, no." He waved his hand impatiently. "I am a Maester no longer, so please cease with your pious bowing. I am now the Commander of the Crusaders."  
"So then you have forsaken Yevon?" asked Yuna.  
"Forsaken Yevon? No, I have not forsaken them. Neither have any of the soldiers who are here today. Yevon have forsaken us." Kinnoc explained.  
"But it is the Crusaders who have abandoned the teachings, surely you can see that?" interjected Lulu.  
"We believe that there are aspects of the teachings which are misguided and simply used to manipulate the people of Spira. We do not condemn Yevon's motives, as we are sure that the teachings were introduced with the best of intentions, but whatever those intentions originally were, Yevon has become misguided."  
"How are they misguided? For hatin' Al Bhed? They deserve it! They're heathens!" Wakka spat.  
"Yevonites know so little about Al Bhed. They truly are a remarkable people, yet they get treated like vermin all across Spira. Even in Luca, where they are granted the most liberties, they are still shunned." said Kinnoc.  
"And they wouldn't be shunned if they followed the teachings!" said Wakka.  
"You must forgive Wakka, Commander. He can only sing one song." said Strider.  
"Lord Kinnoc, how can you justify this operation? Using machina to fight Sin? Everybody knows that the only proven way to defeat Sin is a summoner." said Lulu, gesturing to Yuna.  
"And we are very respectful of summoners and their courage. Knowing that they are out there on pilgrimage is what helps many of Spira's children get to sleep at night. It gives them hope. But that's what it is. Hope. Summoners never truly defeat Sin, it just comes back. How do we know that machina won't kill it?" said Kinnoc.  
Yuna remained silent and looked down at the floor. "I don't know." she said finally.  
"Yuna?" said Lulu, reproachfully. "Sin will be exorcised by complete atonement."  
"Hmph. Your guardian sounds more like Braska than you do." said the stranger in the corner, drawing the attention of the party.  
"Ah!" said Kinnoc. "Forgive me, where are my manners? Lady Yuna, I'm sure you'll be honoured to meet Colonel Auron, previously a warrior monk of Bevelle, and guardian to your father, High Summoner Braska."  
There was simultaneous gasp from Lulu, Yuna and Wakka at the mention of his name.  
"Sir Auron?" Yuna bowed hastily.  
He approached the company, and stood before her. "You look very much like him, but you have your mothers eyes."  
"Please Sir Auron, what was my father like?" Yuna asked.  
"He was a brave man, stubborn and determined. He refused to give in, even when all the odds were against him. Perhaps you'll prove to be just as stubborn."  
"I hope so." Yuna laughed, bowing.  
"So...uh Sir Auron?" Wakka asked apprehensively. "If you don't mind me asking, a famous guardian like you...why did you join the Crusaders in this operation?"  
"Sin came back. This is a new plan to rid Spira of Sin, so I joined." Auron said simply.  
"You'll get pretty much the same answer from all the Crusaders." laughed Kinnoc, slapping Auron on the back.  
Yuna gave Tidus a quick glance before speaking. "Sir Auron, if you're here now, do you know where Sir Jecht is?"  
Auron glanced quickly at Tidus, where his eyes lingered for a moment before looking at Yuna. "Can't say. Haven't seen him in ten years."  
"I...see." said Yuna, looking dissapointed.  
"You'll meet eventually." He said.  
"Yes, I'm looking forward to it!" said Yuna.  
"Anyway there will be plenty of time for this after the operation. We have to make our final preparations!" said Kinnoc. "Spira's future hangs on this operation. If we can not halt Sin here then it's attacks across the land will surely intensify."  
Shelinda, who had been very quiet up until this point rushed forward and interjected.  
"This plan won't work, you know that!" she cried. Kinoc chuckled sympathetically and placed his hands on her shoulders. "So young, so loyal to Yevon. There are other ways to defeat Sin that are not in your scriptures, child. Do not fret. And do not judge us today for trying to fight Sin our own way."  
"But Maester! You'll all die! There is still time, you can put an end to this, Yevon will greet you with open arms!" she said, her eyes brimming with tears.  
"I am afraid it is too late for that. Even if there were time, I would not give the order to abandon this operation. We have waited far too long. And who are we to rely on, summoners (waving his hand in Yuna's direction)? They now seldom walk the pilgrim road. Too many of them have died. Yevon's teachings have failed. Spira has little hope left, and this is all we can do."  
Shelinda opened her mouth to protest, but no words came. Instead she stepped back, and did not take her eyes off the floor. Several tears could be seen trailing down her face.  
"What are you still doing here by the way?" Kinoc asked, turning to Lucil. "The rest of the rangers that have reported in have taken their positions."  
"I wish to guard lady Yuna. She needs to see Lord Jyscal. It is a matter of great urgency, it is vital that she get there." Lucil replied.  
"Indeed?" Kinoc asked, his face alight with curiosity. "Very well, very well. Summoners are such a rarity these days. I don't think I could forgive myself If I were responsible for the Lady's death. Very well, Lucil. Guard her, and guard her well!"  
"I kinda...think we don't belong here." said Yuna.  
"With the operation starting it will be too high a risk to attempt to move you now. We must make do and stand our ground. I am sorry, Lady Yuna." Lucil explained.  
A young crusader rushed into the command centre and headed straight to Kinnoc and whispered something hastily in his ear.  
"It is time at last!" Kinnoc boomed. "We must tell the Al Bhed waiting outside to begin the operation at once!"  
"The fiends may break through, this place is not safe!" Shelinda said.  
"Make sure to defend yourselves." Kinnoc advised.  
"Will Sin really come?" Yuna wondered aloud.  
"Sin always returns for its spawn. To make sure we're going to encourage them to call out to it." said Kinnoc, firmly.

Along the beachfront, dozens of cages could be seen. Crusaders used machina implements to torture the sinspawn, causing them to cry out in pain. The screeching created an ear splitting sound, causing everybody to cover their ears in agony. When they sound had finally subsided, they all waited with baited breath. How long they waited, they did not know. But it felt like an eternity. Finally, what had been a calm ocean began to rise menacingly. Waves began to rock violently against the shore, and then with a thundering spash a gigantic creature emerged from the depths. It's scaly carapace almost shone, reflecting the intense sun. No sooner had it emerged, the order to fire was heard, and hundreds of canons roared. They irritated Sin, like a swarm of wasps would irritate a person. Soon Sin was overwhelmed by fire and it's carapace appeared to flay, as hundreds of globs of skin appeared to drop into the water. No sooner had they dropped into the water, it became evident they were not skin, but sinspawn. They could be seen swimming rapidly towards the beachfront where the Crusaders stood in formation, ready for the assault. Hundreds of sinspawn collided with crusader steel and the sound of the swords clashing with hardened shells filled the beach. The beach soon became overwhelmed with spawn and the legions of chocobo knights that had assembled charged to the front in a desperate attempt to push them back. But sinspawn did not relent, and they did not fear. They were fragments of Sin, and were not so easily swayed. The roaring of canons continued from the cliffs above. Sin roared in pain and the Crusaders cheered, confident that their plan was working, and they fought with greater zeal and continued to wade through the chaos in the beach, a beach which was now littered with the bodies of brave Crusaders, dead sinspawn and sand stained with blood and entrails.

In the command centre, overlooking the beach Yuna and her companions looked down on the beach anxiously. The Crusaders were rapidly losing ground and despite the heavy bombardments from the canons, they were still losing the battle. A burst of light came from the water, as Sin encased itself in a magical shield that had the appearance of a bright purple bubble. Then suddenly, the magical energy burst from Sin and hit the beach, decimating countless Crusaders who had just seconds previously, been fighting on the shore. Yuna let out a shriek as she saw countless people wiped out in an instant. The Crusaders and the Al Bhed overlooking the beach from the command centre looked aghast at what had happened.  
"Where in Spira are the Al Bhed? When will the machina be ready?!" Kinnoc boomed, reeling on one of the Al Bhed nearby.

On the beach bellow, Sin approached. The beachfront appeared empty, although they could make out individual Crusaders who had survived the wave retreating. Sin moved towards a towering, exotic looking canon. It was a machina the likes of which had not been scene for centuries in Spira. The Al Bhed had done a spectacular job repairing it, and yet throughout the onslaught it had remained silent, motionless. It may as well have been nothing more than a static monument. But as Sin approached, the lights turned on. A loud hum was heard as it presumably powered up. And then a great beam of light errupted from it. It pushed forcefully against the bubble Sin had cased itself in, and for a moment it appeared the machina had won over, but then in one violent moment, the beam was pushed back, and another wave errupted from Sin, and crashed into the machina canon. It tore the machina asunder, and there were screams heard from bellow as Al Bhed looked up and saw the machina crashing down upon them. And then there was silence. An eerie silence. Finally Sin let out a loud cry, and turned away and submerged into the ocean.


	10. Flight to Yocun

At first there was silence. Then there was screaming. Crusaders shouted down at the beach, in the hope that they would hear a reply. The sound of horns was also heard, in the hope that they may hear a replying call. But none came. The beach was virtually unrecognizable as it was soaked red with blood. It was littered with swords and shields and machina weapons, as well as the blue entrails of sinspawn. Yuna stirred, and looked around her. She was fortunate to have survived, but her mind immediately went to her guardians, who she saw to also be stirring not too far from her. Lucil was stood at the cliff edge, looking down at the aftermath in silence. It took her a moment to realize she could not see Tidus. But before she called out she desperately searched her pouch and grasped the ring. It was still safe. She exhaled deeply in relief. She could not stand to lose it. All would be lost. And she would never have been able to see it again, to touch it again...  
"Yuna!" Wakka called. "You alright, ya?"  
"I'm okay." Yuna nodded.  
"I said this wouldn' work." Wakka cursed. Even though he had been adamant it wouldn't work, he seemed anything but smug. In fact, he appeared genuinely disappointed.  
"Where's Tidus?" he demanded, looking about frantically.  
"I...I don't know!" Yuna said.  
"Well he must be here somewhere!" Wakka said, and began to start calling his name.  
"It is likely that he was killed in the attack." Lucil said, having returned now that everybody appeared to be stirring.  
"Don't say that, he can't die." Wakka said, heatedly.  
"And yet many just have." Lucil retorted. "He could have gone down to the beach to fight. He appeared to be a headstrong young man. Or he simply fell in the crash. If we can make it down to the beach, we should seek to find him there."  
"Wait, where is Lord Kinnoc? And Shelinda?" Yuna asked.  
"Lord Kinnoc returned to the command tent. The great loss of life shook him. Shelinda went to comfort him, no doubt to try and persuade him to return to Yevon." Lucil replied.

They made their way back along the road and down the elevator. As they passed the canons they noticed many of them had been displaced by the force of the canon fire. Much of the Crusaders sat in disbelief, just staring at the beachfront, unable to believe what they had seen. When they tried to approach Crusaders they passed and try to comfort them, their eyes simply gazed right through them. When they reached the beachfront the horror of the situation hit them harder than they could possibly have imagined. Wakka groaned at the site of all the blood, not for lack of a strong stomach, but because he seemingly could not comprehend the waste of life. Looking out at the ocean, it already appeared calm. Were it not for the fact that they had just witnessed Sin's onslaught and the aftermath it had left, it would have just been another beautiful day on the Djose shore. As they trudged on through the bloodied sand they became aware of corpses that had remained intact despite the wave. They were now being picked at by birds, and they lay motionless face down in the sand, all dignity and honour gone. Seeing it all made Yuna want to cry. She wondered how Lucil could remain so calm. Or perhaps she wasn't. Yuna noticed something different in Lucil's demeanor, a more rigid walk, a tenser composure. Yuna came to the conclusion Lucil was suffering, and struggling to contain it. Not far ahead, stood by the shore, they could make out two figures. Tidus and Sir Auron stood by the water, apparently unharmed. When they realized they were safe, they rushed to them.

"Tidus! Sir Auron! I'm so glad you're okay!" Yuna panted, having sprinted to reach them. "Are you hurt?" she asked Tidus.  
"Nah, I'm okay. I think." he replied.  
"What are you both doin' down here?" Wakka asked.  
"We were just taking it all in." Auron said.  
"Yeah, too many died today." Wakka said, sadly.  
"You were in contact with Sin again. The toxin - are you okay?" Lulu said to Tidus, sounding surprisingly concerned.  
"Umm, yeah. I think so." Tidus replied, sounding taken a back.  
"We found dead. They will need to be sent." Auron said.  
"Yes." said Yuna.  
Auron guided them away from the shore, towards the Djose road. There they found numerous bodies, all dead lined up. Fortunately, there was also some who had been on the beach who had miraculously survived the onslaught. Many appeared shaken, and had suffered wounds from the sinspawn but seemed to be otherwise okay. Shelinda was tending to them, and making crude attempts to use white magic.  
"Are you alright? Here let me heal you." she said, when they approached. She pressed her hands gently onto Tidus's wounds and it felt the pain subside slightly. He still felt tender, but he put on a brave face, after all, Shelinda looked awfully tired and out of her depth, and he did not wish to hurt her feelings.  
"Keep up the good work!" Tidus encouraged, forcing a cheery smile.  
"Thank you, I will." Shelinda said, feeling slightly pleased with herself.  
As they stood back and watched Yuna perform the sending Tidus could not help letting his mind focus on the tragedy that had befallen everybody that day. How many died today? He thought to himself. He mused on how it seemed that people die, and Yuna dances. He wondered when it would stop, when she would stop. He realized that Yuna would not stop dancing until Sin was gone. It upset him greatly. He felt like he had barely been in Spira for long and yet he had already been in contact with Sin three times since he had arrived, not to mention the first encounter that had got him there in the first place.

He was pulled from his musing when he noticed O'aka standing with the crowd watching the sending. He caught Tidus's eye and looked at him guiltily. He walked over and spoke in a quiet tone.  
"I made a bundle with the operation prices. But the way it turned out, they deserved a better deal. I guess the summoners are our only hope." he said, crestfallen.

The Crusaders who survived and were being tended to by Shelinda did not take their loss well. As Tidus and company stood there, watching the sending, it was possible to overhear some of their conversation.  
"More than half of our frontline soldiers perished. My battalion was annihilated, too...The Crusaders will never rise again. We shouldn't have defied the teachings."  
"It wasn't supposed to end like this." said a young, Crusader having her wounds tended to. "Damn it! How many died today?"

Kinnoc had managed to compose himself well enough to come down to witness the sending. His eyes appeared red, yet he kept his strong demeanor. As he stood there, watching Yuna perform the sending he could not help but express his concern and misery. "Those who turned from Yevon died, while the faithful live on." he said.  
"Do not blame yourself, Lord Kinnoc." said Lucil. "Many of us turned from Yevon, and rejected their teachings. And here we stand. This tragic loss has nothing to do with rejecting the teachings. There is a way to defeat Sin without their scripture. We will find it. Have courage."  
"Hah! I am glad you arrived when you did, Lucil. If only to give kind reassurance to a war wary old man." He looked at the sky and saw that the sun was setting rapidly. "If you are to make it to Djose by nightfall you should get going. Many of the Crusaders are heading there in an attempt to pray for forgiveness. I fear many may turn away from us at this vital point, and return to Yevon." he said, sadly.  
"Loss has a way of making people see the divine. Perhaps in time, when they have had time to deal with their sorrow, they may return to us. All we can do is let them cope with their grief." Lucil said.  
"Hmph. Wise words. Yes, you are right. All is not lost. Not yet." Kinnoc said.

When Yuna had finished the sending, and she had returned to the group, Shelinda approached her.  
"Lady Yuna." she bowed. "You do not look so well. I tried to warn them. But now more than ever, you must be the people's strength, their confidence. Anyone else would be expected to show their sorrow. But you...are a summoner. You are Spira's hope. Until Sin is defeated, you must not relent. Do you understand?"  
"Yes. I understand." said Yuna, taken aback. She noticed a strength in Shelinda she had not noticed before the operation, or perhaps it had no been there until now. Her eyes were different. Within them she could see the sorrow and tragedy that everyone had witnessed, but now there was a fierce determination there. Almost like a zeal.  
"Are you afraid?" she asked Yuna. She said nothing in reply, only appeared shaken. She did not think she could possibly tell a servant of Yevon all of her fears. And she was right. She had to be brave, for all of Spira. Even if she was not walking the path they believed that she was, it was important to maintain the image that she was. When she said nothing, Shelinda smiled and bowed.  
"Lady Yuna. Until next we meet, farewell."  
"Praise be to Yevon." Wakka said, bowing to her.  
"Well she certainly changed." Tidus said, after she had walked away.  
"You can't ignore the teachings." Wakka said.  
"A lot has happened today. Many people will question themselves. We all saw Sin with our own eyes, and came into close contact. Mortality is on the mind of many now. Many question the direction their lives have took. Shelinda, a young Yevonite who allowed herself to be pushed around, and dismissed, now seems determined to be a voice to be heard. I wonder what will come of her." Lucil said.  
"The sun is setting, we should make haste to Djose." Lulu said.

They made their exit from the beach and began to make their way along the Djose highroad. It was a fairly narrow road that lay above the coast yet was nestled bellow the cliffs. Many Crusaders could be soon slowly walking the road and headed to Djose. Much of the command centre had been abandoned, and the main camps for the frontline troops had been position on the beachfront near the Al Bhed machina canon. Now all of it was decimated, and the nearest place of rest was located at Djose. In light of what had happened, the walk down what would surely have been a beautiful road in different circumstances seemed considerably morose. It was because of this that Tidus seemed surprised by how cheerful Yuna appeared to be. She stormed ahead whilst closely followed by Lucil, Lulu and Wakka. Kimahri and Tidus trailed behind. Yuna turned swiftly and waved cheerily to them.  
"Hey, you two! Hurry up!" she giggled.  
"She's awfully cheerful." Tidus said to himself, in disbelief.  
"In dark times she must be. She must shine bright." Kimahri said.  
Tidus just gaped in disbelief. He had been under the impression Kimahri could not speak.  
"Now are dark times. Yuna tries hard." he continued.  
"We should help her then." Tidus said.  
"If we worry, she tries harder. Do not frown."  
"Don't worry, be happy?" Tidus said incredulously.  
"Kimahri try, too." the Ronso nodded.  
"Smile! Let me see." Tidus grinned.  
The Ronso stood and bared his teeth at Tidus. Whether or not it was an attempt to intimidate him or smile at him, he honestly could not tell. All he knew was it certainly did not make him happy.  
"Sad." Tidus said, shaking his head.  
Kimahri said nothing, and continued the rest of the walk in silence.

As they walked the road they encountered many Crusaders, disheartened. They looked completely and utterly broken. Some were in tears, others where just in complete shock, the color drained from their faces. Tidus couldn't possibly stand by and not see how they were doing. They had been through such a traumatic ordeal, and he was concerned about their wellbeing, and so he spoke to many on the road.  
"The Crusaders have been ordered to regroup at Djose Temple. Not many left to regroup, but...it's my fault. My men died in vain because of me. It's all my fault." he wept.  
"Hey man, it's not your fault. You did what you had to do out there. You were trying to defeat Sin. It's what everyone wants, right?"  
The Crusader did not reply, he merely continued to weep in utter despair. Also along the way, the came across Monks who had left Djose to ensure the Crusaders made it safely, and had brought medical supplies and food and water to those who were having difficulty continuing along the road.  
"As followers of Yevon, we believe in aiding all those who are wounded. Even the excommunicated Crusaders. They have suffered so much. I believe the time has come to welcome them back. A heartbreaking defeat it was...Yevon's blessing has spared us." A monk in orange said, when Tidus asked why he was aiding the Crusaders.  
"We've decided to rest at the temple. I just hope they let us. We've been excommunicated, after all. They might throw us out." A Crusader dressed in purple said, when dragging along the road, slowly. They came across another Crusader in green who said "My comrades are dead, all because we ignored the teachings. Relying on a forbidden machina...what the heck were we thinking? I guess it's time to seek the monk's help and embrace the teachings once again."

Tidus struggled to cope. He had experienced so much death since he had arrived in Spira as it was. He had already seen the death and suffering and fear that Sin brought. But none of what he had experienced had prepared him for such a great loss of life that this operation had brought. He could not take it. He had rarely had to experience death, or pain, or loss in Zanarkand. He had lost his parents, but besides that he had rarely had to endure it. His heart reached out for home. But he knew he could not go back. He was stuck in this strange world, where the use of machines were forbidden, and comfort was frowned upon, and hard, laborious work was encouraged. He did not know how events would unfold but he had a terrible feeling more death was to come. He slumped his shoulders in sadness. Finally, they caught up to Yuna and the others.  
"Hey! How much longer till Zanarkand?" he asked.  
"Still a ways."Wakka said.  
"First down the Moonflow to the Guado city of Guadosalam...Then we cross the Thunder Plains to the temple of Macalania." Lulu explained.  
"And before that, we get to pray at the temple in Djose!" Yuna giggled.  
"We can't just skip all that? Can we, huh?"  
"Mm-mm. I have to pray to the fayth in every temple in order to earn the Final Aeon." Yuna said.  
"That's a summoner's training. She's gotta prepare mind and body, all just to get ready for the Final Summoning." explained Wakka.  
"Hmm. Must be tough, Yuna." Tidus said.  
"I'll be fine with you here!" she said, emphasisng the you. She smiled at him for a long moment and continued down the road. They came to a crossroads. Tidus assumed one led to Djose, the other along the very long route that Lulu had explained. They took the north road and crossed a bridge, and entered Djose. It was an old town that had had many new buildings constructed in recent times. Djose had long existed as a Yevon town, with the temple as the foundation. However, since the Crusaders had rebelled against Yevon, it had experienced a new wave of construction and it had swelled in size. Despite the temple belonging to Yevon, the Crusaders had no cast them out. Nor could Yevon easily choose to leave Djose and leave the contents of the temple in Crusader hands. And so a mutual agreement had developed that they should leave each other alone as much as possible. However now the town was considerably empty, given that much of its more recent residents were Crusaders, many of which had died in the battle.

As they crossed the bridge there was a large tremour.  
"Sin?!" Tidus exclaimed, looking around frantically.  
Kimahri pat him on the shoulder and pointed towards a large rock.  
"Is that...the temple?" he asked in shock.  
The rocks broke a part and surrounded by a wave of electrcitiy they spread out and revealed the temple, in all its glory.  
"Awesome!" Tidus exclaimed.  
"The Lightning Mushroom Rock. It only opens when a summoner is addressing the fayth." Lulu said.  
"which means another summoner's already in there." Wakka said.  
"Another summoner?" said Yuna.  
"What if it's Dona?" Tidus asked.  
"We have to hurry." Yuna said suddenly.  
"Right! In we go!" Tidus said.

The temple appeared to surge with electricity, but it did not stop them approaching and entering the temple. With slight reluctance and hesitation, Tidus made his way inside.

The first thing that was noticeable upon entry to the temple was the absence of torches to provide illumination. Unlike the braziers of Besaid or the torches of Kilika, Djose had pillars with great electric orbs that shone with intense blue light. Also within the temple was the familiar statues of High Summoners past. It seems remarkably empty. Usually there were monks to greet them, but in these troubled times they were preoccupied with catering to the wounded and the repentant. As they gazed around the hall, the great doors to the chamber of the fayth opened. Out came a smartly robed man, flanked by a younger looking mine and a child. When the robed man saw Yuna, he smiled and walked towards her.  
"I beg your pardon, but may I ask your name?" he asked with great courtesy.  
"I am Summoner Yuna, from the isle of Besaid." she replied, bowing deeply.  
"As I thought! The daughter of Lord Braska. You have the look of your father." he said.  
"My father? You knew him?"  
"No, I have never met the man." he chuckled. "Ah, my apologies. I am Isaaru. I am a summoner, like you." he bowed deeply.  
"I'm Pacce. Pleased to meet you." the child said happily.  
"And I'm Maroda. I'm guarding my big brother here." the younger man said.  
"Since I was a child, I've always looked up to Lord Braska. I wished I would someday become a high summoner like he was. You must have some of your father's talent in you! I believe you might someday defeat Sin."  
"I...I'm not really...I've only just become a summoner." Yuna said modestly.  
"Of course, I've no intention of losing, either. So perhaps we should race to see who can defeat Sin first, no?" he smiled.  
"Very well then. I accept your challenge." Yuna bowed.  
"Isaaru!" Maroda called. He and Pacce were now at the entrance door of the temple, preparing to leave.  
"Yuna, I beg your leave. Good luck, to both of us!"  
"Yes." she smiled.  
When Isaaru and his guardians had left the temple, Tidus spoke. "Well, he seems like a nice guy. Good to know not all other summoners are like Dona."  
"She's just a bad egg, ya? Summoners are highly respectable members of society."  
"Although she must have the strength, otherwise she would never have become a summoner." Lucil said.  
"Not all summoners make it to the end though." Lulu said quietly. Wakka shot her a concerned look. He was about to open his mouth and say something when he noticed something in the corner. "Isn't that...Luzzu?" he asked. They all turned round and indeed, in the corner was Luzzu. He had a blank expression on his face, and he appeared empty.  
"Hey." he said, when they noticed him. "Gatta, he's...he's dead. He was a good fighter. He just wasn't lucky enough." he sounded hollow, like all emotion had been drained from him. But suddenly he exploded and started punching the wall over and over, until his hands were bloody and raw.  
"Ah, damn it! He was young! He pushed his luck! What was he thinking - going up there in the front lines like that? He should've stayed back with command! Damn it! Damn it all!" He roared.  
"Luzzu! Knock it off!" Wakka said.  
"Y-You don't know what it's like!" he said frantically, grabbing hold of Wakka by his suspenders. His eyes appeared manic.  
"I...do...know!" Wakka said. In a forced calm. It took a moment for Luzzu to register what Wakka was saying, and gradually his breathing calmed, and he slumped, looking ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry." he said.  
"Why don't you...go home now, to Besaid. Take it easy a while. Rest, ya?"  
"Rest?" Luzzu said, heating up.  
"You need some R & R. You're hurt, ya?" Wakka said hastily.  
"You...you don't understand!" Luzzu said wildly, almost to himself. "All that I've done. This is punishment for all my sins. I deserve this. I must live with my suffering."  
"Luzzu. Chappu, Gatta's death, you can't blame yourself anymore." Lulu said.  
"It's not just that." he moaned. "It's Gatta. He...he was my son."  
There was a sudden intake of breath from everyone.  
"Your son? But Luzzu, how did we not know? Who was his mother?"  
"It was many years ago. I was young and foolish. I was stationed here in Djose. She was an apprentice nun. We'd speak often. We fell in love and she conceived a child out of wedlock. We couldn't marry, as nuns can't. And I had my responsibilities to the Crusaders. She died in childbirth and I brought Gatta with me back to Besaid, saying he was an orphan I had taken responsiblity for. This is my punishment for betraying the teachings. First my sweet love, and now my son." he wept.  
"Luzzu..." Yuna began, but unable to speak, she closed her mouth and lowered her head.  
"You have suffered enough, Luzzu. Wakka is right. Go home to Besaid. For all your decisions in life, you do not need to have the weight of the dead on your shoulders. This was not your fault. Go now, and take solace and safety within the temple in Besaid. Home." Lulu said.  
Luzzu looked at her in surprise. "T-Thank you, Lulu. Coming from you, that means a lot. I'm sorry all of you, for everything. And Yuna, safe journey." he bowed.  
"And you, Luzzu." she bowed in return.  
He slowly made his way out, gave them one last look and a brave smile, and made his way out of the temple.  
"Poor guy." Wakka said, sadly.  
"'Poor guy'? 'Poor guy'? Is that all you can say?" Lulu asked.  
"Well yeah, I mean, he is a poor guy, ya? He's been through a lot."  
Lulu made an attempt to hide a snort, but whether deliberately or not, failed to.  
"Alright! Guardians, at attention!" Wakka said.  
"We are ready." Yuna said.  
"All right...Let's do it!" Wakka boomed.

They all turned and made their way up the stone steps towards the entrance to the chamber of the fayth. Only Tidus lingered for a moment, looking back at the exit. He wondered if Luzzu was okay, and if he would manage to make it home to Besaid. As he turned, he heard the doors open. Isaaru entered, with Maroda and Pacce.  
"Hey, you." Isaaru said.  
"Me?" Tidus inquired, looking around.  
"You are Yuna's guardian, no? Maroda has heard a curious rumour. I thought you should know."  
"I heard it from those Crusaders. Seems that summoners have been going out on pilgrimage and just...disappearing." Maroda said.  
"It could just be the fiends got them...but not so many so quickly." Isaaru mused.  
"Sorry I don't know more, but...watch your back. Ain't much future for a guardian without a summoner, eh?" Maroda said.  
"What? What? Whatcha all talkin' 'bout?" Pacce interjected.  
"We're talking about doing your job as a guardian." Maroda said, strictly.  
"Hey, I'm doing good! Right, big brother?" Pacce pouted to Isaaru.  
Isaaru laughed and nodded in encouragement, then turned back to Tidus. "Please, be careful."  
"Will do!" Tidus reassured him.  
He and Maroda bid their farewell and walked away. Pacce lingered, like he wanted to say something else.  
"Pacce!" Isaaru called.  
"Oh...what?" he said, shaken from his daydream.  
"We're leaving!"  
"Be right there!" he called after them. "See ya!" he waved and grinned at Tidus, who grinned back. He watched and smiled for a moment as they walked away to their next destination. He wondered if they would make it to Zanarkand. Breaking away from his thoughts he gathered himself and followed the rest through to the chamber of the fayth.

Within the chamber he found them all waiting quietly. It was difficult to say how long Yuna could take inside, considering how she had been there for hours in Besaid when she first became a summoner. He began to pace about impatiently, which earned him a curious look from Lucil and a less than pleasant look from Lulu. He went to Wakka, who was usually willing to converse with him during these situations.  
"We wait here." he said, quietly.  
"You should try to settle down. Yuna will be blamed if anything happens." Lulu hissed.  
"But I'm bored." Tidus whined.  
"Well now we must wait. This is also a guardians duty."  
Tidus was about to retort when the doors opened. Instinctively he looked towards the chamber, where Yuna was praying, but it was from the entrance that the sound came from. Dona and Barthello had made it to Djose at last, having missed the events on the Djose shore.

She walked in, arrogantly, spotted Tidus and smirked. "Well, well. You again. Still travelling around with quite the crowd I see." she drawled.  
Barthello looked at Lucil curiously, who returned his gaze. He walked up to her slowly, as if unable to believe his eyes.  
"What is it, Barthello? You know this riffraff?" Dona asked.  
"You are...a ranger, no?"  
"What of it?" Lucil asked him.  
"Can...I shake your hand? I've always heard about the rangers, but they are almost a legend."  
Lucil chuckled and offered her hand.  
"Thank you! This means so much to me!"  
"Barthello, enough! Get back here!"  
"I swear, I'll never wash this hand again!" he said.  
"Please! Touch me with that hand and i'll remove it!" she snapped.  
"But I met a ranger! An actual ranger!"  
"How much longer?" Dona huffed impatiently. "She sure is taking her sweet time. We've got places to go. We can't be kept waiting like this."

They waited for a few moments in relative silence. Wakka crept up to Tidus and whispered in his ear.  
"Quite the show, ya? Not so good on the heart, though. Not all summoners are like Yuna I guess."  
Tidus smiled and began to pace around again, impatiently. He walked up to Kimahri who merely growled lowly.  
"Pick spot. Shut up. Wait." he said. That stopped Tidus's pacing.

Eventually, the door rumbled open and Yuna staggered out, looking exhausted and weak. She fell and Kimahri promptly rushed and caught her.  
"You owe much to your father." Dona hissed. "All these guardians...and now a ranger, too? And I hear you've even met Lord Kinnoc. You world must look different when you're the daughter of Lord Braska."  
"This has nothing to do with my father! I am travelling on my own, as a full-fledged summoner!" Yuna answered, indignantly.  
"Oh, is that so?" Dona said, heating up. "Then try standing on your own two legs for once. Your guardians won't be able to protect you when the time comes."  
Wakka buried his face in his hands, and even Lulu who normally kept her composure let out a sigh and look down at the floor.

They slept there at the temple that night, as well as in the inn in the town. Yuna insisted on aiding the temple nuns and monks by helping to heal the wounded, and send the fallen. Tidus and Wakka had found shelter within the inn, although they had to make do with sleeping on the hard floor as beds had been deemed a priority for the Crusaders who needed them. After a rough nights sleep, they awoke at what appeared to be late morning. Upon exiting the inn, the town seemed much emptier than it had the night before, when Crusaders had been streaming in, many with horrific injuries. Tidus had heard their agonizing screams well into the night. They awoke late morning to find the inn mostly empty. Only the most severely wounded remained. They left the inn to find the sun was already high in the sky. They found Kimahri, Lucil and Lulu waiting outside the temple.  
"It's late." Wakka said.  
"It was a rough night." Tidus said.  
"No matter how dark the night, morning always comes. And our journey begins anew." Lulu said.  
"Get ready for the journey ahead." Lucil said to everyone.  
"Dona has left. Isaaru, too." Kimahri said.  
"We're leavin' once Yuna gets here." said Wakka.  
"Where's Yuna? She should be up now right?" Tidus asked, looking around.  
"She is still resting. She was up until dawn." Lucil said.  
"Yeesh. Talk about about pressure." Tidus said. "I'll go see how she's doing." He turned from the group and headed to the temple.

Inside the temple the first thing Tidus realized was how empty it was in comparison to the night before. He was greeted by a lone priest.  
"May I help you, young man?" he said, eyeing Tidus's clothes with bemusement.  
"Hi. I'm looking for Yuna?" Tidus replied.  
"That's Lady Yuna." the priest corrected. "Lady Yuna performed the sending all night. I imagine it must have been quite hard on such a young summoner. I solemnly pray Lady Yuna will become a wonderful summoner. Please take care of her."  
"Don't worry, I will. She has some of the best guardians out there!" Tidus reassured him. The priest smiled and indicated to the room on the left. "She is resting, if you want to check up on her."  
"Thanks!" Tidus said, and entered the room.

As he entered he saw a nun tending to her work. In the corner lay a bed. And on it lay Yuna, sleeping soundly.  
"Are you one of her guardians?" the nun asked.  
"Yeah. How is she?" Tidus asked.  
"She was working until dawn. Healing the wounded, sending the fallen." the nun said, looking down on Yuna with admiration and sympathy.  
"Okay...I guess I'll just let her sleep for now, then." Tidus said, quietly. As he said it, Yuna stirred and woke up. She raised her head and sighed. "Ah! Morning!" Tidus said, surprised.  
"What? Morning?" Yuna said. As it dawned on her she gasped and leapt out of bed.  
"Don't worry!" Tidus said, hastily.  
"But it's morning!" Yuna fretted. "I'm so sorry! I-I'll get ready right away! Just a moment!" she flustered about in a panic, desperately trying to gather herself.  
"Don't worry! It's okay!" Tidus soothed. He left her too it, and returned to the others. No sooner had he reached the group, Yuna came bursting out of the temple.  
"Yo! Sleepyhead!" Wakka greeted her.  
"Sorry! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me." she said apologetically, bowing deeply to Lucil.  
"Really, there's no rush...Here, your hair." Lulu said gently. She removed a brush from the luggage and began to brush Yuna's hair.  
"A summoner with bed hair! What's the world comin' to?" Wakka teased.  
"You could've woken me up!" she pouted.  
"Ah... we called to you, but with all that snoring..." Lulu said.  
"Mmm...what is it today? Everyone's picking on me!" Yuna said, causing everybody to laugh.  
"Oh! You too, Lucil?" Yuna whined, when she noticed Lucil joining in.  
"Once Lady Yuna fixes her hair, we leave!" Lucil said, causing everybody to roar with laughter.

They set off from Djose and across the bridge. A few Crusaders remained but appeared in good health, and were conversing with one of the monks. When they spotted Lucil, they saluted her.  
"At ease. The rest of the Crusaders have left, why do you linger?"  
"I'm going to help out with guard duty here for a while. It's the least I can do to repay them for taking us in." the Crusader said.  
"The Crusaders deeply regret their actions. I believe it's time to put the past behind us and forgive them. Yevon shall forgive those who seek redemption." he smiled in approval at the Crusader. "Should you need a place to recuperate, please return. You are always welcome here." he added to them.  
"Thank you." Yuna bowed.  
"Praise be to Yevon." the priest said, bowing in return. Everybody bowed, except for Lucil, who did not move. The priest eyed her with apprehension before shaking it off and waving in farewell.  
"So where to next? " Tidus asked.  
"We continue to Yocun. At good pace, without distraction, we should make it by the evening. We have already wasted much time here this morning."  
"I would very much like to know what this matter of urgency is in Yocun. Yuna must continue her pilgrimage." said Lulu.  
"All will be made clear when we arrive. You have my word." Lucil said.  
"I mean it's an honour to have a meeting with the great Lord Jyscal, ya? I mean, I know there aren't many summoners left, but what does he want with Yuna?" Wakka asked.  
"Again, all will be revealed in time." Lucil said.

When they reached the crossroads, Lucil lead the way and trudged up the hill and through the bushes and plants.  
"We goin' off road again?" Wakka asked skeptically.  
"The Guado have no love of civilization in our sense. They prefer the solace of nature. Our route is again deviating from the pilgrim road. However, we are not going cross country. This road is seldom walked from here, and has become overgrown. It will be a rougher walk, but not as bad as our earlier travels." Lucil reassured him.

And so they spent the remaining hours of the morning walking in solace along an old road that took them far into the green country. Yuna found it most welcoming, after her long ordeal the night before. It already felt like it had been such a long and laborious journey. She felt like she had somewhat aged since Besaid, not so much physically as mentally and emotionally. She remembered how naive and inexperienced she was, and now she had endured so much pain and seen so much death. The road they walked was peaceful. The only sounds they heard were the rusling of the leaves and the singing of the birds. It reminded her of the peace she had felt when they left Luca.

They continued on in silence through the morning until the afternoon. Then, some time after noon they decided to rest. They had been travelling for hours and needed food. They found a spot on a large patch of grass along the side of the road, and began to eat.  
"Not that I'm complaining, but I kinda miss having a proper cooked meal. What is this stuff anyway?" Wakka inquired, to nobody in particular.  
"Dry bread from the temple. After all that Yuna did to help last night, they insisted we take it. After everything that they did for the Crusaders, this bread probably came from their own private food stores." Lulu said, shutting Wakka up.  
"It was very admirable, what you for us Yuna. It is an honour to guard you." Lucil said.  
Yuna just smiled and lowered her head in modesty.

It became gradually apparent to them that the air was growing thick, and they were being engulfed by fog. It suddenly felt very cold and it grew dark. Figures began to appear infront of them. They were transparent and surrounded by pyreflies. The party could recoginize them as Crusaders. The figures drew their swords and moved towards them.  
"Everybody come closer, stick together!" Lucil said, urgently.  
"What are they?" Lulu asked.  
"The result of very rare, foul magic." Lucil said, disgusted.  
"What do we do?" Tidus urged.  
"We must stand and fight." Lucil said.  
They drew closer together as the manifestations surrounded them. In reply, the guardians created a circle, surrounding Yuna, protecting her. They drew their weapons in anticipation of attack.  
"Lulu, fire may be our best hope." Lucil said.

Lulu aimed a fire spell at one of the approaching manifestations. It burst into flames and wraithed in apparent agony on the ground. The rest of them charged suddenly as soon as the fire had hit. Combat was upon them and Lucil, Wakka and Tidus began hacking and slashing through hordes of the apiritions whilst Lulu continued to throw fire down. Kimahri kept close to Yuna, whilst using his mighty halberd to cleave through any who attempted to get near. Despite their best efforts they soon began to find themselves overwhelmed and separated. Lost in a sea of undead Crusaders. The constant assault began to wear them down and it seemed no matter how many of them they felled, more took their place.

"The fire, it's no good, they keep coming back!" Lulu shouted.  
"We need to burn them more, we need something more powerful. Yuna, call Ifrit!" Lucil called.  
But Yuna did not answer.  
"Yuna!" Lucil called.  
Still there was no answer. They looked around frantically and found her clutching a gaping wound.

Kimahri rushed to her side, closely followed by Lulu. They were still over whelmed by Crusaders, and Lucil, Wakka and Tidus desperately fought to hold them back.  
"Yuna! Can you hear me?" Lulu said urgently, as Kimahri cradled her in his arms. Yuna moaned and cried out in pain, clutching her wound tightly. Her hand was soaked with blood. Lulu managed to convince Yuna to lift her hand so that she could see the damage. It was a deep, piercing wound and had pierced her side. Bloody poured profusely from the wound, and Lulu hastened to put pressure on it. "She must have been pierced by one of their blades!" Lulu said, after inspecting the wound.

"What can we do?" Wakka shouted over the chaos.  
"We need to hasten to Yocun!" Lucil called.  
"How can we ensure she will even get there?!" Lulu cried. "She is too weak, and we can't hold back these Crusaders. They will not relent!"  
"Yuna! Do you have strength to summon?" Lucil shouted, urgently.  
"Summon? In her state?" Are you mad Lucil? It may kill her!" Lulu said.  
"We have no choice, our lives depend on it. Yuna, you must try, else we will likely all perish here!"  
"No!" Lulu said, firmly. "I will not allow it. We will find another way."  
"Lulu...It's okay." Yuna said quietly, grasping Lulu's hand weakly. "I believe I am strong enough to do this."

Kimahri helped her to her feet, and using him as a pillar to lean on, she grasped her staff. As she began to spin the staff, the ground trembled and the earth shattered and rocks burst from the ground. Then there was a great circle of fire and out of it emerged a Jackal like creature. It had a canine like physique and was hunched over on all fours although its hind legs looked strong enough to be able to support themselves. It growled viciously and snorted fire from its nose. Despite its terrifying demeanor it had a gentle and loyal look in its eyes when it looked to Yuna, who lay exhausted against Kimahri.

"Please...help us." she managed.

Ifrit nodded and leaping into the air it mustered a great blaze and rained down small balls of flame onto the army of apparitions, followed by a second, larger great meteor like object. Finally it dug deep into the ground and hurled great chunks of the earth into the flames, exacerbating it. The flames grew and grew, and the heat was unbearably intense. Through the flames it was almost possible to make out dozens of figures burning. After what felt like a few minutes, the flames finally subsided. And there was silence. There were no Crusaders to be seen, and the road was empty. But still the fog and the cold lingered. A foul wind blew, and what felt like harsh whispers could be heard. Then through the fog emerged not dozens, but tens of apparitions, possible near a hundred.

"How can this be?!" Lulu said.  
"Lucil! What do we do?" Tidus said, urgently.  
But Lucil did not answer. She merely glared into the fog, her sword held high, defiantly.  
"Yuna weak, Kimahri protect." Kimahri said.  
"We have to get her out of here. She's losing consciousness." Lulu said. As she said it, Yuna began to slip into a sleep. Kimahri shook her to try and keep her awake. Lulu, in desperation conjured up a burst of water, and splashed Yuna, who screamed in shock.  
"We need to get her out of here, but how?" Lulu said, almost to herself. She looked at Ifrit who looked ready to fight. The apparitions began to act curiously. Whilst before they had been indiscriminate with whom they attacked, now they seemed to pay little to no attention to the guardians, and instead made for Yuna. Not even Ifrit was enough to distract them.  
"We have to get Yuna outta here!" Wakka called.  
"Ifrit!" Lucil cried. "I know I am not a summoner, but you are duty bound to protect them. Yuna needs your help. You need to get her to Yocun immediately! Will you help her?"  
Ifrit snarled and glared. Slowly it bowed its head and moved towards Yuna and scooped her up onto its back. Immediately the apparitions charged. Ifrit roared and cleaved a path through them and running on all fours, dashed down the road.

"Run!" Yuna heard Lulu cry.

As Ifrit sprinted along, Yuna weakly lifted her head and looked behind her. She could see that the apparitions were on their tail, and gaining fast.  
"Ifrit, they're gaining on us!" she cried.  
Ifrit began to sprint harder and faster, and it seemed that the surrounding landscape became a blur as the road ahead of them twisted and turned and they became surrounded with dust from the friction. The speed and adrenaline of the situation helped Yuna remain conscious, although she was aware she was losing a large amount of blood.

Finally, after what felt like an hour on the road she noticed the tree's had become lush and green and they had an enchanted feeling to them, like man had not tread on or disturbed the area for many years. Yuna realized they must be close to Yocun. But then something troublesome happened. They had come to a river. Ifrit refused to cross and back away from the riverbed. However the apparitions were still on them, and now they approached slowly.  
One of them stepped forward and drew his sword. As it walked closer to it seemed to manifest more, and solidify, as if it was becoming more powerful. Ifrit snarled viciously and raised a claw, preparing to retaliate.

"The ring." It hissed. "Give us the ring."  
"W-What?" Yuna gasped. "I don't know what ring you speak of!"  
"The ring!" It repeated, coming closer.

Yuna was weak, and pale. She felt clammy and felt herself passing away into deep slumber. She wanted it to happen. She wanted to slip into a deep sleep, it was so inviting, and it would be peaceful. But another part of her urged her on, willing her to fight. She drew the dagger that Lucil had given her, as she had not the strength to wield her staff.

"You shall have neither me or the ring!" she cried.

The apparitions laughed in a disturbing way and all of them advanced. Yuna poised herself to attack and Ifrit raised its claw higher...  
And then Yuna slipped out of consciousness. All else faded. And the last thing she remembered was being engulfed in light.


	11. Authors notes

**Authors notes**

If you've read this far, then I thank you for taking the time to read my first fan fiction story. If you haven't, but have decided to read these notes anyway, then perhaps you will be kind enough to keep reading.

You may be wondering what the story is, and possibly what it isn't. Allow me to elaborate. It is not a romance, although it will likely involve romantic elements, this is not your usual Tidus x Yuna or Rikku x Auron etc. So if this is what you are expecting, you will be woefully disappointed. There will be no "lemon" either, although I think the moderators have stepped in to take that possibility away, anyway.

The story is, and hopes to be an Alternate Universe story that is a crossover in a different sense. It is not a crossover in the sense that it is Character from X finding themselves in a world from Y. This is a crossover in the sense that it has taken elements from another fantasy story (Lord of the Rings) and attempted to merge fluidly with the story and characters of Final Fantasy X.

The story intends to be split into six separate stories, all published separately, and each containing roughly ten chapters. I understand these chapters may appear long, and potentially this may be off putting to some people who are curious about reading my story. I have qualms with small chapters, numerous chapters of roughly a few hundred words. I believe it ruins immersion, but that is only my opinion, and not I'm sure the opinion of readers who frequently read fan fiction.

You may also feel overwhelmed that I published it immediately in its entirety. This was done due to my frustration and some stories that I believe were enjoyable to read and felt had potential being shelved abruptly. So I made the decision to publish in its entirety so that If I ever do decide to shelve this project, at least then there is some complete element to the story that can be read.

I do hope this story gets read and reviewed as it is my first story, and I am an aspiring writer. The experience and feedback I gain here will be most useful to me when I begin to write an actual novel of my own. I humbly request that anybody who has read some of my story, please give me feedback. Leave a review etc. Your opinions will be of great value to me. I want to write the remaining five books, but in order to do so I must be convinced that there are people here who are and do wish to read them. Otherwise I will feel I may as well dedicate my time to other things.

So, I thank you, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy this story.

Maechen.


End file.
